


Herosteve Oneshots

by SaucyPenguin



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alex is just tryna get them together, Basically one big slow burn, Bastion Remnants, Bees (minecraft), Hero duking it out with other gods, Just some short stories, Lol nevermind this ended up being a longer story, M/M, Music Discs, Slow Dancing, The Nether (Minecraft), They're just so oblivious that the other likes them man, or maybe longer idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 54,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaucyPenguin/pseuds/SaucyPenguin
Summary: So i've been itching to write again and figured this would be a way to do it. You can give some requests for the ship Herosteve and i'll see what I can do. There have been some really great stories about it and I was inspired lol. Thank you for your support!
Relationships: HeroSteve, Herobrine/Steve (Minecraft)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an intro where you can suggest some scenarios and situations that you'd like to see!

# Intro

So i'll be doing suggestions in the comments on what to write! Since i've gotten lots of love on my last Herosteve fanfic, i've been wanting to write again! I just wasn't sure about what, so here we are. I'll write about most things, but I wont write: 

-NSFW (suggestive things are allowed)

-Nothing too gory (a little is fine)

Other than that, I don't have much more to say but thanks for your time! Leave any suggestions you have in the comments!


	2. Breaking Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This suggestion was for Steve to free Herobrine from his prison in the Nether set by Notch. And the aftermath could be pretty sweet, which I thought was a pretty cool suggestion. So anyways, enjoy!

# Breaking Free

\--------------------------------

It didn't surprise him, not at all. The flames flickered around him as he slouched in a makeshift chair, which wasn't very comfortable mind you. It was rare to find "comfortable" things in the Nether, the only thing that came close to that was the magma slimes that would come to bounce around him and keep him company for a short while. But, that was short lived, as they would continue on their journey and leave him to his own thoughts.

That was expected from most living mobs around in the hot wasteland. What was also expected was how long Herobrine had been stuck in solitude while his brother, Notch, got to roam around freely amongst the mortals in the overworld. He knew that when Notch had sealed him in here, he was serious about keeping him locked away. Which is why he set the barrier to require two beings to unlock it, and open the doors to both worlds. This was a simple trick to make sure Herobrine couldn't escape on his own, leaving the god in his place within the Nether. The barrier was set on a specific Nether portal, one that Notch had created himself specifically for his wayward brother. Thus allowing other players to enter other parts of the Nether without disrupting the gods punishment. 

The portal in the Nether was worn down and broken from the years that have passed by. Even though time functions differently in this dimension, time still had an affect on the gateway. Herobrine did nothing to fix it whatsoever, after he figured out that he was hopelessly stuck in the firey pit. Sure, the first time he was thrown in he tried everything he could muster to open the portal and pass the barrier, but to no avail. However, the portal on the overworld was kept in shape, with guards on duty at all times. They would take shifts so no matter what, there were always a pair of eyes watching the deactivated portal. This gateway was deep in Notche's large home, so no mortal could accidentally discover it and unleash terror upon their world. 

So, for years upon years, Herobrine waited in the Nether for something to happen. Anything would do, it's just he was getting bored of all the fire and lava and he could use a change if you asked him. His stories became legends and myths that usually only ancient villagers knew and had it passed down from generations. But over time it was changed and altered, so the original story was long forgotten and instead replaced by lies and faults. Some say that Notch was just a simple mortal back then and defeated the god, Herobrine, and took the powers for himself. While others claimed that Herobrine has killed millions and tortured families, so Notch swooped in and locked him away. There are even some that say there is no Herobrine all together, and it's all just some elaborate hoax. But the most widley believed story was that two godly brothers created this very existance. One wanted life to thrive and flouish among the world, while the other created the tall mountains and deep swamps that were scattered among the newly created universe. 

For awhile, things were working perfectly. The two brothers worked side by side in harmony while the cattle and sheep roamed the hills of their new world. But one day, Notch had created a new lifeform to walk the overworld, mortals, otherwise called players. He explained to his brother how they would bring creativity into the world and express their imagination through how they survived within their world. Herobrine was skeptical about the idea, Notch had created villagers, but they didn't have much of a personality other than work for their families. Nothing about expressing themselves and freely roaming the lands however they wanted. Yet, his love for his excited brother compelled him to agree and thus, mortals were created to roam the plains.

People say that at first, the gods were facinated by each players actions. None of them thought the same, and it was amusing to watch them create buildings that touched the sky, or underground homes that nearly reached the bottom of the world. Yet, overtime the players commited violence for their own personal benefit. They would raid villages and steal valuables that the villagers had worked their lives to aquire. Some even set fire to the villages, just to watch them burn down to nothing but a crisp. Animals were slaughtered to an extreme extent to where it was rare to find a single pig roaming the grassy plains. Herobrine had noticed this, and confronted Notch about the problem. Notch has noticed them as well, yet it was only a small majority of the players and not all of them were bad. He wanted to do something about it, so he created large iron guards to protect villages.

Yet that wasn't enough for the other god, and he began to get fed up with all players and believed that all of their creations were some form of wreckage that attacked his world. The brothers continued to argue, until it broke out into a fight that rattled the very planet that they had created together. Magic was thrown, and punched were landed and they broke into battle. To attempt to eliminate all players, Herobrine created lifeforms of his own to target any player they see. This only upset Notch more and the battling continued on. To shorten it down, it ended up with Herobrine getting cornered into the portal and Notch locking him in for the rest of time.

Even though that incident had happened years ago, Herobrine was still upset about it and held a grudge. As did his brother, and since then nothing has quite been the same.

"Aleeex! Im heading into the village! I'll be back soon!"

"Don't forget to buy the magma cream you promised!"

"Gotcha!" The blue and purple clad man yelled into a certain red-haired woman's base before setting out on their path to a nearby village. Steve had promised Alex that he would buy her a gift for her late birthday, and it so happened that she needed magma cream for her potion-brewing. Her base was farther into the woods and in the same direction of the village he was headed to, which made things quite easier. His own base was farther back, placed in the center of a clearing on the other side of the forest that surrounded Alex's home. Alex was one of Steve's oldest and closest friends he had. They had met when they were first starting out and looking for a place to set up camp. And by conincidence they happened to bump into eachother while roaming around and became close friends quickly. Needless to say, Steve could always go to her if he had farm ideas he wanted to share, and the same goes for Alex but she would always tell one of her recent battles with a mob. 

The fresh breeze woke Steve up further as he took a deep breath in. The trees parted and he came face to face with a good sized village with bustling villagers doing their daily tasks. Steve hadn't figured out there was a village until Alex had showed him it, and lucky for them the villagers were welcome with open arms and curious about where they had come from. Steve wasn't sure about Alex, but he couldn't remember much about his past. It all seemed like a blur until he met Alex. The earliest thing he could remember was wantering through a birch forest with only a few items on hand, not knowing where he was venturing off to.

People passed him left and right, some carrying baskets full of fresh wheat, and others held pouches containing shiny green emeralds. Steve wasn't sure why, but he liked the feeling of a bustling town always ready for work and always having something to do. Maybe because Steve didn't do all that intersting of things, mining could get exciting when he finds a diamond or two, but other than that theres not much to see except stone.

"Ah Steve, over here!" A voice pulled him out of his thoughts as he turned his head to face the person speaking. An older villager, Maurice, waving his hand and motioning for him to come over was the voice that he reconized. Steve weaved through the bustling people and jogged up to his shop. Mauice usually bought rare items from far away and sold them for good prices here in the village. 

"Maurice! It's been awhile, how have you been?"

"Good good." The elder man held up his finger and made Steve wait as he rumaged in his pockets to pull out a small pouch. He put his finger down and handed Steve the small leather pouch carefully. "Here's the magma cream you asked for awhile back". Steve handed over three emeralds for the cream and pocketed the item.

"Ah, thanks. Alex has been wanting this for her potions."

"Of course, yes. Make sure none of it spills out, thats some hard stuff to find." Steve chuckled as this.

"Haha, I bet it is. Speaking of, where do you even get this stuff?" Maurice just smiled and shook his head while putting his hand on Steve's back, guiding him back down the steps of his shop.

"Eh, somewhere far away. I'll tell ya later, but for now i've got more customers to deal with. Tell Alex I said hey!"

"Sure, and thanks again Maurice!" The two waved at eachother as Steve walked down the dirt path pulling out the cream and taking a look. Yup, definitley magma cream. It gave off some heat that seeped through the thin leather pouch, yet at the same time the cream felt cold and as if it shouldn't feel warm. This stuff was strange to Steve, and he didn't make potions all that much anayways so there was no need for him to have this.

As he strolled down the busy streets of the village, his eyes drifted over to the quiet library that sat near a cool stream. It was a cozy spot that was a good place to wind down and collect your thoughts, or just to get lost in a good book. His legs moved faster than his mind, and he found himself walking over to the building and opening the door. A small "ding" was heard above his head as a bell announced his arrival. He walked pas the librarian, giving a small wave as he went farther back into the library where the books he usually liked were placed. He slowly started scanning the books for a good story when he came across an old looking book that was shoved far back in the shelf. 

He squeezed his hand back and pulled out the book, only to have dust fly in his face. After coughing a couple times to get dust particles out of his system, he brushed away the remaining dirt to reveal the title, _HEROBRINE-The Ancient Tales and Debunkings"_. Steve turned the book over and examined it further, yet most of the book was in tatters and was close to falling apart. Out of curiosity, he shrugged and settled for the book, pulled up a chair at a nearby desk and began to read. He flipped through the first few pages and found that the author was debunking false tales and claimed that he had the original. Steve kept scanning through the book until he came across a detailed drawing of a portal. It resembeled a Nether portal, yet it had blocks he had never seen lining the corners and the obsidian was a completeley different shade of purple. It looked more like a jet black obsidian than the usual purple tinted obsidian that you find deep within caves. The caption of the picture spoke about this portal being locked away within Notche's home, away from the public eye.

Steve rested the book down and thought about that. He always thought that there had to be something about the myth, Herobrine, and this guy seemed to really know his stuff. No one had ever questioned where the portal was or how it was created, they were just glad that the god was locked away. People had created their own theroies about what really happened, and none of them were out of the question since no one was alive when the brothers fought. Steve leaned back and sighed, looking at the wood celing trying to sort out his thoughts. He could go to Notch if he really wanted to, it easily doable. Ever since Herobrine was locked away, Notch became closer with mortals and let them come in freely to talk to him. It was pretty strange to have an all powerful god let players just come and talk to him, yet comforting at the same time knowing that he knew the answer to most questions. Notch was a busy man and wasn't always avaliable, but maybe he could catch the god at a good time.

Hours passed as Steve looked deeper into the book, reading each detailed line and caption there was to see. He was became more and more interested with every page he flipped, so much that he didn't even notice the finger tapping his shoulder. Steve jumped and turned around, only to be met with the tired face of the librarian.

"Sir, the library is closing. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Steve was quiet for a moment as he looked around. He hadn't noticed that everyone in the library had left for the night.

"Oh, sure yeah." He paused for a moment, looking at the book and then back to the librarian. "Actually, can I also check this out?" The lady let out a tired sigh and slowly nodded her head and mumbled something about returning it within the next few days. He stood up and followed her out, making his way home as the book was tucked under his arm. As he reached Alex's home, he quietly knocked on the door, to no response. He leaned back and checked the windows to find that the blinds were shut and the lights were out. He really started to wonder what time it was, since usually Alex would stay up slaying monsters for practice.

The stars had started to become more clear as Steve approached his home, and a light breeze drifted past making him realize how tired he was feeling. He slowly opened the door and lightly kicked it shut behind him as he slipped off his shoes and tossed his items onto a nearby table. As he flopped onto his bed, he relished the sheets as he let his thoughts return to the book. He sleepily decided to pay Notch a visit tommorow as he drifted off.

Notch had woken up an hour prior to the sunrise to work on future additions to his world. A hot cup of coffee next to him on his desk as the sun shined through his window, illuminating his office. Ever since Herobrine had been gone, he had taken over all of the responsibilities of managing the world that they created. So he was often awake for long nights and rose for early mornings to work on his ideas. He really didn't mind, because he loved what he did. It made everyone happy, and they got to express themselves in a whole new way. He picked up his coffee and took a slow sip, savoring the bitter taste as it warmed him up. 

The morning was calm and quiet, or would have been if one of his patrol men didn't burst into the room. This startled Notch, causing him to nearly spill coffee all over his new plans. 

"Sir i'm sorry, but it's an emergency." The guard was panting from running down the halls and kicking the door open. Notch slowly looked up, cocking an eyebrown waiting for an explanation. "Pillagers, they've made their way into the west side of the desert village and they need help. They keep on coming, and we need reinforcements to back us up." At this Notch quickly stood up and the guard followed him down the hall. 

"Send a message to special forces that we need backup. I'll accompany you to the site, but start leaving now. The quicker we get over there, the sooner we can help them." The patrol man jogged off, talking into a small box attached to his shoulder while Notch quickly walked to his armor room and gathered the best things he could find.

The sun shone into Steve's eyes as he slowly began to come out of his sleep. He shifted himself over, trying to avoid the bright light but the room just kept getting brighter by the second. After five minutes of trying to get back to sleep, Steve groaned and threw off his sheets to get ready for the day. He sluggishly brushed his teeth and pulled on a fresh t-shirt and pants, tossing the dirty ones into a nearby chest to clean later. As he walked to his kitchen to grab some food, his eye caught the items he got yesterday. The old book and Alex's cream. After taking a glance at the book, he remembered that he was planning to see Notch to ask him a few questions about the stories. Steve decided that he would quickly drop the cream off on Alex's front door step. He thought about just waiting till tomorrow because of how comfortable he was in his home, but he knew that he would never get it done if he did that. So, apple in mouth, he jogged down to Alex's base and tossed the cream in front of her door. He knocked a few times to let Alex know that he was there and headed back to his own base. 

Notch's home was the opposite direction of Alex's so he had to go back past the way he came. As Steve strolled by his house, he glanced through the window to see the book still sitting on his table. He stopped and thought for a moment before rushing inside to snag the book and bring it with him. 

"It might be easier to ask some questions with this thing." Steve thought to himself as the trudged into the thick forest. Rabbits hid in bushes and scattered about, birds sung their morning songs, and the world was turning around him as he walked past. The forest continued to get thicker the deeper he went which is why he didn't usually like coming down this way, but it would be worth it in the long run. About twenty minutes of walking through thick trees and across hills until he finally reached the god's house. It was a dark and spruce wooden home, with smooth stone lining the outside of each section. The house looked to have at least three floors and met with the top of trees that surrounded the property. A fence made it's way around the home, preventing most mobs from walking in. A large plaza sat in front of the home with a fountain that stood in the center. And finally, a grand doorway that arched over the steps and invited any friendly guests inside. He looked around at his surroundings, and for some odd reason it was eerily quiet. Not a single person stood in the plaza, not even a tiny rabbit. Quite the opposite to what it usually was, people in large groups walking in and out of the home, talking with each other and having a good time.

Despite the odd conditions, Steve slowly walked into the home and was met with an empty living room. The doors were still wide open like usual, so he just assumed that people could still come in. Furnished couches and tables were neatly decorating the brightly lit room, with fancy center pieces that looked like they could cost Steve's whole house. The large fireplace that sat at the end of the living room still has a dim fire going, which was strange because no one was around to light it. Pushing doubtful thoughts down, he trudged over to Notch's office only to find it also empty. Not much of a surprise there. Steve looked at the bookshelves that neatley lined the room, to the small knick knacks that sat on his desk. The rug under his feet was probably quite expensive, it had exquisite patters and a soft fabric that made the room all the more inviting. Yet Notch was still nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a loud slam was heard and the click of a lock echoed throughtout the mansion. Steve froze, slowly turning around and peeking out of the office to see what the disturbance was. The once open entryway was now shut tight, and probably locked. 

"Oh geeze..." Steve mumbled under his breath as the jogged over to test the door. He tugged at the doorknobs, but they wouldn't budge at all. He backed up and looked around to see if there was any other door or window he could climb out of. But to his dismay all of the windows were securely built into the walls, and many hallways split off of this one room. Steve took a deep breath and slowly started walking down one of the halls. This was going to take awhile.

The hallways were wide and displayed facinating items like totems of undying or a few diamonds here and there. The halls were more dimly lit than the living room, and most of the lanters weren't lit. Steve knew he was tresspassing and that he wasn't supposed to be here, but he knew he had to get out somehow. While he aimlessly walked through long hallways, there was one hallway that differed from the others. It was lined with cobblestone and redstone torched barely illuminated the short hall. It seemed worn down and broken from age, but there was an iron door that sat at the end of the hallway. Steve walked up to the door to get a better look, for a room that looked like this an iron door seemed easy to bypass. As he reached the door, the miner came to realize that this wasn't just an ordinary iron door. It was a reinforced iron door with built in obsidian, a new item that many people want to get their hands on. 

Steve figured he shouldn't snoop, and leave the area. If he got caught in this place, people might think he's trying to break in to what seemed like a vault. Serious trouble would follow, and that wasn't what Steve was looking for. He wandered back to the main hallway and felt fatigue coming over him. Being stuck in what seemed like an endless maze of fancy halls really wore him out, physically and mentally. He set the old book down on the floor and leaned against the stone wall of the hall to rest for a few minutes. Yet just as he was getting comfy, Steve felt part of the wall cave in behind him and a click soon followed. The miner turned around to find a secret button camouflaged with the stone walls. A door swinging open could be heard from the sketchy cobblestone hallway, which he assumed was the heavy iron door.

Steve peered around the corner, and confirmed his suspicions because the reinforced iron door was now wide open for him to walk in. He grabbed his book and stood up thinking for a minute. He really shouldn't go in, what if he couldn't get out or he got caught? This was Notch's private buisness and Steve wasn't a part of that. But another part of him really wanted to see what was under such heavy protection. It had to be something good, and this was a once in a lifetime chance. No one around, and the secret wide open for him to discover. He strugged in his mind, going back and forth between choices before giving in to his curiosity. Just a quick peek, thats it. He briskly walked over to the door and made his way through.

Upon entering the hidden room, he was immediately facinated by the piles of old journals and notebooks lined with polished diamond that was scattered on shelves upon shelves. Candles lit the room and gave a cozy feeling as he walked further in, not noticing the iron door swing shut behind him. What really caught his attention was a portal, cleanly kept and seemed quite familiar. Steve flipped through the book that was held under his arm to find the exact same portal sketched in detail. He looked between the two, and the drawing was surprisingly on point with the real thing. He tucked the book back under his arm as he apporached the portal to get a better look. A lever on the wall had caught his eye, and Steve has curiosity tugging at his mind again. 

"Y'know what?" Steve thought to himself as he gave into the curiosity once again. He was already this far in, it would be a mistake to turn back now. Upon pulling the lever, the room seemed to get hotter while the flick of a flint and steel seemed to light up the gateway. Purpleish blackish particles spilled out and dissolved from the portal as Steve, now completely entranced by his discovery, came closer. Upon looking through the portal, he could faintly see into what seemed like a whole different world. Fire was cast across wide landscapes and lava pourced through the high celing. Mobs that Steve had never seen before roamed the area, and a large fortress sat in the middle of it all. As Steve analyzed the large castle closer, he could see a figure with a blue top, purple pants, and a black long coat. Quite similar to what the miner wore at the very second minus the jacket, but he was too focused on trying to see the person's face. 

Steve considered trying to stick his hand through the portal to get the man's attention, but the stranger beat him to it. When Steve looked back up again, the man was looking directly at him with wide white eyes. Completely white, no pupils, no nothing. This gave Steve shivers of fear as they continued to just stare at each other. Suddenly, the man was gone with the blink of an eye and appeared directly in front of Steve. Of course Steve jumped back in surprise, dropping his book and nearly falling over. The stranger turned his focus from the miner to the portal that stood in front of him, separating the two dimentions. He slowly stuck his hand through, and it came out on Steve's side of the portal. The man seemed to have a look of surprise and awe on his face as he decided to step through fully. 

The miner backed up cautiously as the man came through. His white eyes flickered to his hands as he turned them over, analyzing them as if he had never seen his own hands before. Steve was about to speak when he heard shouting from outside the room. 

"Sir! Someone had breached the containment room!" Probably a soldier exclaimed and multiple footsteps began to approach the room. 

"Oh no," Steve whispered to no one, yet the stranger was already flipping the switch to shut down the portal. "They're coming." Steve said a little louder as the door suddenly flung open, Notch standing in the doorway with multiple guards behind him. The gods eyes seemed to grow in fear as he locked eyes with the man before a pair of hands gripped his shoulders, and without saying a word he felt himself become light as air and his vision went blurry. Everything was dark for a moment before the world came back to him and the pair landed on the grassy ground. Steve took a deep breath, wondering what on earth had just happened while the stranger regained his balanlce.

"You." Steve stopped and froze, hearing the man's voice for the first time. He turned his head around and made eye contact with the man. Upon looking at his eyes further, he realized who he was talking to. There was only one person in history that ever had white eyes, Herobrine. Steve suddenly felt himself shrink back in fear when he realized who he was dealing with. 

"M...Me?" Steve shakily questioned.

"Well, who else?" The god said as he narrowed his eyes at the mortal on the ground in front of him.

"Right, yeah..." Steve quickly responded, averting his eyes to his now oh so interesting shoes.

"Why," The god questioned as Steve slowly started to stand up. "why would you open the portal?" The scared miner was quick to explain himself.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, I got lost in that mansion and found the room by accident. I saw the switch and flicked it to see what it did and-" 

"Alright, alright. I get it." Herobrine cut him off and the two sat in uncomfortable silence, or at least Steve did. "Do you know who I am?" The god questioned to the player. 

"Oh, you're...Herobrine?" Steve quietly answered as the god looked around at the forest surrounding them.

"Where are we?" The god sternly asked as Steve shifted uncomfortably.

"W-we're in a forest, probably near Notch's mansion..." The god scowled at the mension of his brother's name, yet he kept looking around himself. His expression shifted to a face of thought, probably how he'd been stuck in the Nether for years, and didn't know his way around here. 

"You live around here?" Herobrine turned to ask the miner but realized he wasn't there. The god snapped his head around and saw the miner creeping off, trying to escape. "Hey!" Steve sprinted off as soon as he knew Herobrine saw him. Dashing through trees blind, hoping to find a clearing so he could really see where he was. When he figued he was a good ways away from the god, he stopped to catch his breath only to find him leaning against a tree next to him.

"You're not getting away from me, you know." Steve yelped and ran in the opposite direction, ducking behind a rotting tree, breathing hard. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest and he could hear it in his ears too. Just as he thought he had made some space between the god and himself, he heard the familiar sound of teleportation on the other side of the rotting tree. Steve clutched his breath in his throat as to not make any noise.

"Alright listen, i'm not gonna hurt you. If I were to kill you now, you'd be no use to me and I wouldn't know where i'd be going." Steve slowly let out his breath as he listened to the god talk. "So i'm gonna need you to show me around, and as long as you do i'll keep you alive for now." The god appeared right in front of Steve as he pressed himself against the tree, fearing for his life. But the god did have a point, he didn't know where he was going. And even if he tried to approach anyone they would run away and cause a scene, drawing attention to the god. So for now, Steve assumed he was safe as long as he helped the god.

"Okay, fine. Just as long as you don't kill me, then i'm willing to help." He had no choice really, it was either help the crazy god or risk death.

"Alright perfect, just walk around the places you know. I'll be right behind you." 

"But wont people be able to see you?" Steve questioned, yet Herobrine pulled out a bottle with a grey mixture inside and proceeded to drink it, making himself fade away. An invisibility potion. "Huh, okay then." Steve proceeded to navigate his way through the forest, and it didn't take long to find the path he originally took to get to the mansion.

"So down this path is Notch's mansion, which i'm sure we can't go there right now." Steve turned down the path and started making the trek back to his own home, pointing little things out along the way. They came along a cozy home after about ten minutes of walking, which was Alex's home.

"This is one of my friend's homes, my place is pretty close by so we'll be there soon." They continued down the dirt road until they breached the forest, coming to the wide open plains. Steve's home sat near the forest edge, so they strolled over as he showed him his house.

"Hm, good construction for a mortal." Herobrine commented, which Steve didn't know how to respond to.

"Uh, thanks I guess." The sun was slowly but surely setting over the horizon as the god looked at the players house. "Theres a village nearby down that way, but it's starting to get late."

"Is it still intact?" Steve was confused by the question, but answered anyways.

"Yeah, of couse. Why wouldn't it be?" The god didn't answer the question and Steve just continued to watch the sun set. He realized that the god didn't have a place to stay, and mobs would be coming out soon if he didn't get inside. Steve wasn't sure if he was just exhausted or just wanted to get inside, but he offered the god a place to stay.

"Hey, uh, since you don't have a place to go i'll let you stay with me if you want." Herobrine just turned to look at Steve, before laughing under his breath.

"I don't need to sleep, nor do I need your help." Steve just stared at him blankly, before turning to head inside. 

"Alright then, hope you enjoyed the tour." Steve sleepily said over his shoulder before opening his door, ready to collapse in bed.

"Sure, and remember not to try anything. I'm always watching." The god said back and dissapeared into the night. Steve suddenly got even more uncomfortable with the thought that the god could see wherever he goes. But at the moment, he was just too tired to care. He slipped off his shoes, placed the book on the floor and flopped onto his bed. At least he didn't have to deal with the god anymore.

"Hey...Hello?' The god tried nudging the mortal out of his sleep, yet to no avail. Herobrine had stayed up during the night looking around the village the man had told him about. He was true to his word, and the village was in perfect shape with sleeping villagers throughout the small town. He crept around and watched a few of the villagers that were still awake, only to find that they were mostly the same as before. Still focused on work and not much personality other than that. The invisibility potion had worn off so he couldn't try to approach them directly, and going to Notch's place was out of the question. Guards were probably swarming the area, searching for him. Other than that, there wasn't much else to do or places to go other than the player's home. So he found himself back at square one, trying to wake up the heavy sleeper. The only other interesting thing he had done other than look through the village was look through the book that the man carried around. 

It was a book about himself, good to know that people hadn't forgeten completely about him. Most of the information was accurate, yet some smaller details were false but that wasn't much of a problem. It was a funny thing to know that the mortal had researched about him before accidentally freeing him from his firey prison. Quite a coincidense if you asked him. 

"Hmmgmn..." The man rolled in his sleep, noticing the movement in his house. When he opened his eyes fully, he was met face to face with an all too familiar powerful god. He yelped and fell onto the floor, tangled in the heap of sheets. He scrambled to stand up before looking at the god properly. 

"What are you doing here?? How-?" Needless to say, this was one of the more unique ways Steve had woken up. He slowed himself down and took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Okay, first off, why are you here? I thought you'd be off doing whatever gods like yourself do."

"Well, I still don't know where i'm going for your information. And I was going to go mess with villagers, but that got old quick. I tried talking to one but the most I got out of that conversation was screams and them running away. So I came back here, where I can actually socialize." Herobrine summed up. Well, Steve certainly didn't expect the god to come back because he was bored of all things. But he shrugged it off, and went to brush his teeth and get ready for the day. 

Of couse, Herobrine followed him around watching his every move. He seemed confused whenever Steve did something, like making a piece of toast using a toaster seemed irrelivent when he could just toast it himself using fire. 

"Well, I don't have that kind of power, so sucks for me." Steve said as he grabbed the toast and slipped his shoes on. "I'm gonna head down to the mines, so I assume you're gonna follow me there too."

"Heh, not like I have much else to do. Also, I never caught your name." Steve looked over at the god. "Steve. And I suppose you're Herobrine?" The miner questioned. "The one and only." After their introductions, they headed down into the depths of the rocky earth. For the next few days, they made conversation as Steve did his daily tasks and gathered materials. They went into the village once or twice, so Herobrine could really get a feel for what the villagers were like. Still the same as he remembered, he told Steve. Herobrine met Alex, even though she couldn't see him and didn't know he was there. Steve found that kinda creepy but there's not much he could do. Weeks began to pass as messages were sent out, looking for the "lost" god and to be on heavy watch. Yet despite people being more and more afraid, Steve began to relax around the god, and possibly even enjoyed some of their conversations. Hero would tell him about the mobs that inhabited the Nether, and how they behaved and what they dropped. Steve surprisingly found it pretty interesting, and he found out where magma cream came from which was pretty cool. He seemed to learn more and more about the god each day, and he knew they were getting closer which gave him a warm feeling inside his chest. But he pushed it down, wanting to ignore the feeling. 

Herobrine also learned a few things about Steve, like how he'd met Alex when he first came here. Or how he couldn't remember his past at all. Needless to say, there was lots to talk about with him which was convinient so they never got bored. Steve reintroduced the overworld to him, showing him the animals, or how to get honey from bees. He wouldn't admit it, but it was comforting to know that he had someone to show him the ropes of the world. Every now and then, when Steve would brush against his arm, Hero would feel his heart beat faster. Yet he didn't know why, he assumed it was a result of staying in the overworld and talking to other beings.

Then, one night when Steve was making porkchops for himself, he realized Hero hadn't appeared in at least three days. Which was unusual for the god, normally he would leave for a day or so and come back later. Yet him being gone for this long was different. It also made Steve realize how used he had gotten to talking to someone all the time, and the feeling of lonliness crept in the more and more he thought about it. The miner decided to get some fresh air to clear his thoughts so he stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the evening air.

"I forgot how nice things could be here." The voice startled Steve and he followed the sound of the voice to the roof of his shack. Herobrine was sitting on the ledge, looking off into the sky. Steve jogged around the back of the house and climbed up the ladder to reach whre Hero was sitting. He sat down next to him and let his legs dangle over the wooden ledge. He noticed that the god had been appriciating more of his surrounding which was new. And it was good that he was, but Steve felt like there was something off. 

"Yeah, I come up here sometimes to watch the sunset." Comfortable silence flowed between the two as they watched the stars appear one by one in the sky as the sun cast orange and pink rays across the sky. Hero looked down at the grass and took a breath in.

"I... Never thanked you for setting me free." Steve could tell the change of tone in his voice, it dropped to a more serious note.

"Hey, it was no problem. It sounded like the Nether wasn't a great place to stay for years upon years huh?" Steve tried lightening the mood, nudging the god for him to reply with a small nod.

"It's just... I was isolated there, stuck with my own thoughts for what I thougth would be eternity. I didn't mind at first, but the longer I stayed there I felt like I was just more and more alone. In fact, I almost forgot what another person looked like." Steve looked back at the sun setting over the horizon, contemplating his words. 

"Im sorry about what happened between you and your brother, and how it all lead to that..." Herobrine seemed to get more worked up at the mention of Notch.

"It's just he didn't know what he was doing! I had enough compassion to allow it, when I knew I shouldn't have. He allowed villages to be burnt to a crisp, wildlife to be cut down and replaced with meaningless buildings and structures!" Herobrine was waving his hands around to emphasize his words. "I was the one trying to preserve the world we had created together, but all he was doing was tearing it down! The only thing he did to stop it was set up a few blocks of iron and a pumpkin to fight players that could easily take it down. All the players were the same, destroy the local towns that were just doing their own thing, and then build whatever they wanted all over the lands!" He paused his ranting for a second, looking across at the village in the distance. "Yet," His tone became much softer" it does seem that people have improved a little these days. At least, you showed me that..." Herobrine averted his eyes to the grass that covered the hills and much more. Steve was surprised as the gesture, and caused his cheeks to go a tint of pink, but accepted it none the less.

"I'm glad that you're starting to see that." Steve said, looking down at their hands. They were mere centimeters from touching each other, and he decided to be brave. Steve intwined their hands together, while looking at the god. He also looked down at their hands, as Hero felt the familiar heart beat in his chest. 

"W..well it's thanks to you. And I got to meet you, because of it." Herobrine felt himself stuttering and quicky tried composing himself. Now it was Steve's turn to feel his heart pound in his chest.

"Don't mention it, i'm just glad that I met you too." Steve averted eye contact as he tried keeping himself together. He looked down at their still intwined hands, and then looked at the god. Hero noticed this and looked back at the miner, not saying a word. They don't know how long they stayed like that before Steve slowly leaned forward, inching their faces closer together. Herobrine didn't do anything to oppose the action and leaned in with him until their lips met. It was a soft kiss, but it meant much more to them. Steve nor Hero wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when they parted for air, they sheepishly laughed and scooted closer to each other. Both were new to this, but neither of them minded as long as they were with the other. They watched as the last streaks of light faded and the night sky loomed overhead. 

Herobrine felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, only to find that that Steve had drifted off. He quietly laughed to himself about mortals and their sleep before picking him up and teleporting inside the home. He took the miners shoes off and layed him on his bed, pulling the covers over him. Herobrine stood back up straight, and paused. He wanted to try something he hadn't done in years. He was gonna try to sleep. The god carefully scooted Steve over, slightly waking him in the process.

"Hmm? Hero wh'dya doing?" Herobrine jumped at the voice, thinking he was long gone in sleep.

"I uh, was going to try to sleep." Steve seemed to chuckle and scooted over more, making room for the god.

"Do you even remember how to sleep?" Steve questioned, to no response except Herobrine looking away. "I'll take that as a no heh. So, basically you just have to clear your mind, close your eyes, and let your body to the work." At this Herobrine shut his glowing white eyes, and seemed to focus.

"Okay, i'm sleeping. I am going to fall asleep." Steve jokingly nudged him.

"You can't talk when you sleep either." Steve said as Herobrine mumbled something about how sleeping was harder than he remembered, causing the two to laugh. 

"You've just gotta relax, and think happy... hap..py...thoughts until.. until you..." Mid-sentence, Steve was out like a light. Hero chuckled and turned to face him. The more he stared the heavier his eyelids felt, the quiet night being all the more comforting. Right as he felt himself slipping, the god leaned over and pecked the miners lips.

"Love you.." He sleepily whispered, not knowing that the mortal was still conscious. This caused the miner's lips to form into a smile.

"Love you too.."


	3. Buzzing Bees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to kingtysonsworld for this suggestion!  
> It's been awhile and I apologize for that! I've been buzy helping my family out and haven't had time to work on any stories. As of the next week i'll be busy again but after that i'll be able to update much more frequently. Thank you all for the suggestions, i'll try to do as many as I can!  
> The idea that was suggested was Herobrine discovering what bees are, and Steve helping him learn about the new mobs that the god isn't familiar with. Hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also wanted your guy's opinion on a new idea. Would you rather keep this as multiple seperate oneshots or many stories that make up one big storyline of Hero and Steve figuring out their feelings for each others? It would basically be like one big slowburn yet you guys could still suggest what situations/adventures they would be in! Please leave your opinions in the comments, and thank you for your support!

# Buzzing Bees

\-----------------------------

It had been a week since Herobrine had escaped the Nether.

After years of trying to break free from his confined prison, he had finally done it. A few obsidian blocks, false promises, many ghasts, and slipping past Notch's guards did the trick perfectly. Explosions of fire charges could be heard from miles around the town that night. Areas of Notch's mansion collapsed as ghasts broke free of the home, and spit their flaming charges at the shops and roads below. The fire charges quickly spread among the flammable materials throughout the marketplace. Merchants, thieves, locals, everyone was running for cover and trying to alert guards that regularly patrolled around town. There were even some civillians that tried knocking back the fireballs to their senders, some of them succeeded while others nearly burnt themselves to a crisp and joined the search for cover. The ghast's flame lit up the night, smoke pouring across the hazy sky and blocking out the moon.

Whilst all the commotion was occuring, the Nether god easily slipped past the disastrous events into the thick forest that surrounded the quaint town. He snuck around through the trees until he got a perfect view of the plaza, where the most destruction was happening. It sat right infront of Notch's home, where guards and soldiers alike were pouring out the front door with bow and arrows. There were pleanty of soldiers, but also pleanty of ghasts as well. The soldiers were struggling to keep up with the beasts that roamed the skies, come even tried throwing their swords at the ghasts yet ran away from raining fire moments later. Herobrine snickered at the scene and dipped deeper into the forest to put space between him and the people in the village. Creepers and zombies stayed a fair ways away from him, knowing his power. But the god didn't mind as long as they didn't attack him, not like they could do any damage to a god. They'd be gone with a single swipe of his sword. He teleported swiftly through the night, feeling the cool night air blow against him for the first time in ages. He pushed himself high into the air and soaked in the feeling of being weightless with the clouds as stars shined above him.

The very next day as the sun rose above the horizon, Herobrine felt cocky enough to return to the now ruined town square to survey the damage. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with the strong scent of smoke threaded in the air. Peeking back through the same spot as yesterday, ash, gravel, and dust was spread all over the cobblestone plaza. Burned buildings were everywhere, some even collapsed from the damage. Seeing the crumbling holes in Notch's mansion brought him a sense of satasfaction. He hadn't meant for part of the town to burn, he just wanted his freedom back! He only wanted to rough up Notch's hard work a bit and then be be gone. And from what he was seeing told him that his work was done. Yet the thing that caught his eye was the wooden stage placed in the middle of the plaza, with no one other than his brother standing front and center. He spoke behind a podium to a crowd that watched intently, assuring them that the damage could be easily repaired. Yet, he also gave them news about how the destructive got was now on the loose in the world. 

"I won't stop searching until we retrieve him, and lock him and his powers back in the depths of the Nether. I assure you all, we will do everything we can." He continued to describe how he would send out scouts across the plains and send messangers to spread the word. People say the whole time he had a look of determination and bravery burning behind his eyes.

Hero clentched his fists to prevent his anger from bubbling over, and tackling the god right then and there. But Yet he knew that if he dared do that, he would easily be outnumbered. And he knew nothing about any changes that were made to the world during his absence. So he forced his bitterness for his brother down, and left to return to the depths of the woods.

The next four days consisted of Herobrine wandering throughout the plains and forests that he hadn't seen in years. Many things changed, but every now and then he would spot something that vaguley sparked his memory. He wandered to nearby villages and inspected their daily lives. For the most part, nothing had changed, just work, eat, and sleep. He toyed with a few villagers during the nights he was there, appearing in their windows, or making sure his eyes were seen from the woods. By the time he was done with his fun, the villagers were all on edge and reluctant to even leave their homes. He laughed off their reactions and left in the direction of the town plaza. Before he left to further explore the world, he wanted to see what and where Notch has been living all these years.

By now, it had been a week since he gained his newfound freedom. Of course, he still had to be on the down low since the incident was fresh. But soon enough, when it dies down, he'll be able to be more lenient about appearing anywhere he wanted. And if he happened to be spotted, he could always pull out a potion of invisibility to use. His time in the nether let him master potion brewing, and being a god let him have lots of space to store whatever he wanted.

He was almost done with his exploring around the outskirts of the main town. All he wanted to do was roam around the birch and oak forest for anything interesting, and then he'd be off to the next town. He spotted a winding path that cut through the trees and decided to walk along the convinint way through the thick forest. He passed through a few lone homes along the way, some with large wheat fields and others that were built into mountains. He scowled, remembering all of the meaningless buildings that plauged the once open grassy plains. He didn't understand why Notch would allow this, what they created to be carelessly destroyed. And when he tried to preserve it, Notch became upset and banished him away to the firey pit of the Nether. A sudden clearing in the forest grounded him back to the present. A small, yet cozy seeming shack sat in the middle of the clearing with a small stable just nearby. The god turned around, only to see the long winding road continue off through the trees. He hadn't realized how long and far he had wandered off from the main village, yet he didn't mind. He might as well start the journey to the next town since he's this far. 

He carelessly passed by the home and continued along the path back into the dense forest. A cool breeze passed by as leaves swept across the tan path that carved its way along. In that moment, the god realized how much he missed the overworld. All the way from the clear, cool air, to even the villagers that endlessly worked away. It was comforting to know that he was back and free to do what he wanted. 

As he was starting to sink deeper in his thoughts, he was once again interrupted by nature. Yet this time, it wasn't a forest clearing. Instead, it was a small, fuzzy, flying bug that hovered in the air which caused Hero to walk face first into its side. He stumbled back, not ever seeing anything like what was right in front of him. The black and yellow bug didn't seem to mind about the god bumping into him, in fact he decided to buzz right next to Herobrine. The bee circled around him, and Hero managed to get a better look at the unfamiliar mob. After looking over the creature and deeming it passive, he continued to walk further down the path.

Yet the bee didn't seem to want to leave his side, and continued to buzz right in Hero's ear. It took about twenty seconds of this for Herobrine to get annoyed with the fuzzy creature. He promptly shoved the bee away causing it to spin into the forest, causing it to get lost in the thick leaves. Herobrine let out a sigh of relief to have the area quiet again. He strolled along, minding his own buisness and enjoying the silence. Until he could hear a faint buzzing noise within the trees. The god figured it was just another one of those mobs and walked faster to avoid the creature. Yet the buzz just continued to get louder and louder no matter how fast he walked. He eventully got fed up and whipped out a sharpened diamond sword. 

"Alright that's enough, come on out so we can get this over with." The god deadpanned as he scanned the area around himself. Nothing happened aside from the buzzing continuing to get louder, soon sounding like it was right in his ear. Hero was about to teleport farther down the path when a sharp needle lodged itself in the gods back. It didn't hurt, yet he felt a dim throbbing come from the spot. He reached behind and pulled out a sharp black stinger. 

"...What?" Hero questioned as he analysed the stinger further. But seconds later, another throb in his left arm which caused him to jump. He pulled out an identical stinger and quickly whirled around himself, trying to find the perpetrator. Suddenly, two bees emerged from the trees and circled the god. Then four more bees, then eight, and soon enough the god was getting stung on all sides.

In an effort to get the bees off, he tried swatting them off or hitting them with his sword. Yet no matter what he did, they seemed to just keep on coming in bigger and bigger numbers. Eventully, the god began to dash away from the bees, hoping to loose them behind him. He tried teleporting away, but the bee stings were making it difficult to focus so he had to resort to running. No matter how fast he ran, he could still hear the loud buzzing trailing behind him. Hero could only hope that he would be able to outrun them at some point.

"G'mornin Tulip." Steve tiredly greeted as he approached the small stable that housed his animals, including his cow, Tulip. The morning air was cool and crisp with dew from the night before. The sun was already a good ways up in the sky, but not high enough for it to be afternoon. Tulip mooed a cheerful good morning to the miner as he grabbed the nearby stool and bucket that he used for milking her. Steve gave a fond smile towards the cow and placed the bucket under her. 

This was Steve's daily routine. Wake up, take care of Tulip and collect eggs from the chickens, make breakfast and head out to the village. The miner didn't mind the repetitive morning, in fact he rather enjoyed waking up to wholesome animals. He finished up milking the cow and she gave Steve an affectionate nudge on the shoulder. Steve leaned into it and stroked her neck before standing up with the pale of milk. Careful not to spill a drop, he shuffled over to the chickens that still laid fast asleep in their nests. 

They all huddled against one another as they shared their warmth, each of them helping each other out. Steve couldn't help but envy the chickens, as weird as that sounds. They all were apart of one bit communitny doing their part. Only for Steve, whenever he visited the nearby village he was met with strange looks and curious glances. His similarity in looks to a local legend really put the villagers on edge, and they were pretty suspicious of him.The only one who really talked to him was Mauice, the local blacksmith. He usually trades ores, yet he also loved to trade for rare items. Steve was the only one who really went into the caves so they naturally got to know each other. Yet despite Maurice's friendlines, he knew that the villager was still cautious of him. Even so, the miner enjoyed the others company. He shook his head and set the pale down to collect the eggs before he was slowly, but surely, making his way back to his shack.

After nearly dropping an egg or two, he made it inside and was able to put his items away in an ice chest. Using sheep's wool woven together with string, he was able to make an ice box to preserve his food. It proved to come in handy on a daily basis, and he often had more food than he'd ever had before the ice chest. He pulled out a slice of cake that his close friend, Alex, had given him. Alex lived farther down the path, towards the town plaza. But that doesn't mean that they didn't visit each other, they actually met up quite frequently. Their last meet was two days prior at her house, where she had given him some extra cake she had baked. They usually discussed all kinds of things, but that day they they talked about all the commotion in town.

"It's torched down there, big mess." Alex stated as she grabbed a fistful of gunpowder out of a nearby barrel to add to her potions. She had recently gotten into the art of brewing, and had asked Steve to help her figure out how to brew a potion of swiftness. He happily agreed since she'd caught his curiosity when she talked about all the effects that she could brew.

"You've been there?" Steve questioned the orange haired girl. She carefully poured the powder down the tube of her brewing stand, equally filtering it into each of the three potions.

"Just this morning actually, went down there to see if any of the markets opened back up."

"And?"

"Every one of them is still closed, even though they're repaired. People are afraid of that Nether god that caused this whole mess." Alex scoffed as smoke rose from the brewing station, and blaze powder filtered through the machine.

"That sucks..." Steve trailed off, focusing on the cake he was offered when he'd first arrived. A moist vanilla cake filled with sweet strawberry filling, topped with creamy frosting and red berries. 

Movement in the forest brought Steve back to reality, and he glanced up from his morning treat to take a look. A small patch of bushed rustled for a few seconds before a figure burst out, running away from a swarm of bees that soon followed close behind him. The sudden appearence made Steve jump as he jogged over to his window to get a better look at the scene. It was a man, similar to himself, trying to swat away a mob of angry bees that swarmed around him. The miner felt sympathy for the man, and decided to give him a hand.

Steve swung open his door and shouted across the grassy field to get the man's attention.

"Hey!" Steve cupped his hands around his mouth to get the sound across. He saw the figure look his way, while trying to dodge the painful stingers that tried to pursue him. He waved his hand towards him, signaling him to come inside. The man didn't hesitate, as he made a break for Steve's house. The miner stepped aside, getting ready to slam the door shut the second the stranger was inside so the bees couldn't get in. As the stranger approached, he could tell he had been stung multiple times in the arms, torso, and many other places too. The man stumbled inside as Steve barely shut the door just as the bees were preparing to strike again. Steve jumped back and yelped as several stingers pierced through his door, but none could open it.

Steve watched as one by one, the stingers unhinged themselves from the door and angrily floated around the front of Steve's shack. They both let out a sigh of relief once they knew that they were safe inside. Steve turned around to find that the man had stumbled over in the rush for saftey, and offered a hand to help him up.

"You alright there?" Steve questioned as the man tilted his head up to look at him. The miners blood ran cold as he saw not a pair of eyes, but a white void make contact with him. Steve jumped and staggered back, trying to put space between him and the newfound god. The god seemed unfazed, as if he had seen this a million times before.

"Y..You.." Steve kept backing until his back made contact with his door, and his hand desperatley tried to find the knob. Herobrine pushed himself up, only to stumble over himself feeling dizzy.

"Mhm, yup that's me." The god mumbled as he held his head in his hand while waving Steve off with the other. He didn't need the mortal to finish his thought, it was what everyone did when they met him. Normally, he would be having fun with scaring them, but right now he felt like he was gonna pass out. Steve was confused when the god didn't atempt to catch him, or even stop him in the slightest. He slowly put his hand back at his side and took a small step towards the god. When Steve took a closer look at the bee stings, he could tell that they were swollen and needed to be treated. 

At this moment, Steve realized that he had two choices. Either leave the dangerous god the way he is and run for his life, or try to help the god whlie also risking his life in the process. He thought about it for a second, if he ran now, chances are the god would come back for him when he healed. Yet if he helped him, he could make a good first impression and possibly save his life in the long run. But he would be puting his life at risk by trying to assist a powerful god that could probably end him whenever he wanted. Either wa he'd probably be dead, so he might as well try to save his hide.

Steve cautiously made his way over to one of his storage chests, and pulled out some magma cream. He'd heard that this cream helps injuries heal over time, and he hoped that was true otherwise he would be wasting perfectly good magma cream and make himself look like a fool. He grabbed a few lone bandages to go along with the cream and slowly made his way over to the god. 

"Hey, okay im gonna try and help you. Is that alright?" Steve said to the god. His white eyes looked at him menacingly, glaring him down. He growled and backed up, trying to get the point across that he didn't need him. 

"It's not like it matters, it'll heal eventully." The god snarled and glanced at his stings. Steve could tell his demeanor changed when he realized how many of them there really were. 

"Okay sure, but that's gonna take awhile. And they could be infected if left the way they are right now..." Herobrine looked down at the bee stingers that throbbed all over, and then cast a look at Steve. He turned his glance to his shoes, and didn't say a word. When Steve took a step forward, nothing happened. He took this as an okay and he bent down to the god's level. He didn't seem in the mood to argue with anyone, and Steve sure wasn't complaining about that. Before he could wrap the bandages and apply the cream, he'd have to get the stingers out. 

"This is gonna hurt for a minute, so, just a warning." Steve said before swiftly pulling out a stinger in his left shoulder. Another growl could be heard from the god and before he an elbow jabbed him right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Steve. The miner fell back as he hunched over to catch his breath. It may have taken a minute, but he eventully scooted back to where he was.

"I know it hurts, but i've gotta get those stingers out before it gets worse. So just please try not to do that again." Steve mumbled to the god as he stood up to get a better view of the stings. There were at least 12, and each one was gonna be just as painful. Steve sighed to himself before preparing to get the wind knocked out of him pleanty of more times.

It had been ten minutes, and Steve had been able to remove five more bee stingers while dodging four out of five jabs. Up until that moment, silence was hanging in the air aside from the ocasional grunt of pain. 

"What were those... Creatures?" The god suddenly spoke up, probably to avoid the pain that racked his body. Steve suddenly stopped removing the stingers to process the question. How does this all powerful god, who created this very planet, not know what a bee is? 

"It was a bee? Haven't you heard of them before?" The god huffed and resisted to jab the miner again in the ribs. 

"It's been years since i've been here, there aren't any fuzzy creatures in the firey pits of the Nether."

"Oh, uh right. Sorry..." So this guy was the real deal. Thinking back to what the god said, he supposed he was right. He'd been banished years ago, so it was reasonable for him not to know any of the new creatures that roamed the plains. Silence washed over them the rest of the time Steve struggled to get the stingers out. Once the last one was removed, he let out a sigh of relief. All he had to do now was patch this guy up and hopefully leave in one piece. Steve grabbed the cream and started applying it to the god's swollen stings that covered his exposed arms. He glanced up at the god as he was starting to wrap his arm up to find him staring right at Steve. The miner quickly glanced away, trying to seem more focused on healing the wounds. Steve finished up both arms, cream, bandages and all before moving to the gods back.

"I just need to move your shirt out of the way really quick." Steve said as a heads up to the god, and when he recieved no respose he went ahead. Lifting the back of the shirt up, he could clearly see the wounds and patch them up much more efficiently. Five minutes of healing wounds later, and the god was completley patched up. 

"Alright, you can move around now. But try not to mess with the bandages." Steve warned as Herobrine stood up to his full height. The god made direct eye contact with the mortal, staring him down. He stole a glance out the window to check for any angry bees, to find nothing.

"Tell me more about these 'Bees'." The god said, looking down at his new bandages that wrapped around him. The pain had dulled down to soreness which made it much easier to focus on the present. 

"Well bees tend to come out during the day, and usually come in large groups. Kinda like what you were dealing with back there." Steve explained, still tense. "They pollinate flowers, and make honey. Which we can actually drink and it's pretty good. Yet they also have stingers, which is what they use to defend themselves." Steve picked up one of the stingers that were in the pile he'd made. 

"Your stings swelled up more than the average person, so you might be allergic." Herobrine glanced outside, and Steve followed his look. The sun had set awhile ago, and now the moon was high in the sky surrounded by stars. Steve realized that Herobrine had nowhere to go, and he was injured from the bees. 

"Do gods need to sleep?" Steve suddenly asked, which caught the god's attention. 

"No, but it speeds up healing functions..." Steve looked outside again, thinking of the mobs that crawled around outside.

"You could, uh, stay here if you want since you've probably got no place to go." It was a ridiculous idea, the god could potentially kill him if he wanted to. But seeing how he just helped the god, he assumed that he could be in the clear for at least a little bit. Herobrine was about to reject the offer, when he really thought about the suggestion. The area was still crawling with guards, and there was no guarentee that they wouldn't find him while he was out.

"Fine, I only need one night. But remember, if you try anything at all, you wont like the outcome one bit. I could find you anywhere, even if you hid in the deepest cave there is. I've seen it all, and I know exactly how to get there. So alert anyone, and I wont hesitate to end your short life." Steve shuddered at the sudden seriousness and quickly nodded his head. 

"Alright, well you can make yourself comfortable anywhere. I'll be crashing on my bed right over here, if you need anything." The god scoffed, and mumbled a sure as he made his way over to a couch and got comfy. Steve brushed it off as he climbed into his own sheets. It was a little terrifying knowing there was a god that could kill you at any given moment resting a few feet away from you. Despite that fact, Steve seemed to easily drift off into the world of sleep.

It took lots of moving to get in a sleeping position that didn't hurt, but the god did it. He would never admit it, but he was the slightest bit thankful that this mortal had helped him recover. If it weren't for him, he'd probably still be in the middle of the swarm of bees. Yet Hero brushed it off, he needed to sleep now so he could travel away from Notch's soldiers. 

\------------------------

A tall, well built man dressed in soldier attire strolled through a long, well decorated, hallway. His footsteps were muted from the expensive carpet that he walked upon. The person streached out their arms and pushed against the double dark wood doors that were at the end of the hall. Cool air hit his body as he slowly sauntered into the large dining room, stopping at the head of the table. He straightened his posture and grasped his arms behind his back before speaking. 

"Sir, there has been no sight of Herobrine since his recent escape. Although we have eye witnesses claiming that they saw glowing white eyes darting into the west side of the oak forest." The soldier finished and stood his ground, waiting for a response. Cool air drifted through the room, sending small shivers up the soldier's spine. Whenever the air was chilled, the god was not happy. Even though he hid it well, there was no hiding the atmosphere that followed his worry with him. 

The man that stood at the other end of the table tore his glance away from the brick fireplace and took a deep breath. Notch turned around to face his general with a small smile. The general could feel the air around him heat up a tiny bit. 

"Thank you for your report General, thats great news." His voice was smooth and calm with a happy undertone. "How are the soldiers? Are they doing well after the attack?" 

"Indeed sir. Most of our troops are faring quite well after the incident, with the worst injuries being bruises and scratches. Nothing serious." Notch let out a breath of relief, and glanced out the tall glass window that gave a perfect view of the oak forest. 

"Did you say the west side of the forest?" The god mumbled as he let himself get lost in a trance, eyes focused on the endless amount of trees that went all the way to the horizon. 

"Indeed. We could send out troops to scout the areas in groups to cover more land if you would like." Notch's face was still and mouth unmoved. Yet that soon changed and faced his army general that stood, waiting for his commands. 

"Yes, let's start with that. Send out troops in equal groups across the plains and cover as much ground as you can." 

"Yes sir, right away." The general jogged off, a loud slam of the doors being shut confirmed he'd left to round up the soldiers. Notch turned back around and focused back on the flickering fire that lit up the fireplace, scratching at his goatee. His brother was out on the loose, no one to hold him back or restrain him. The god could only hope that they would find him soon, and put him back where he belongs. 

Morning came quick as Hero woke to the smell of cooked porkchops throughout the quaint home. He creaked open his white eyes to see the mortal cooking food in a furnace, moving back and forth between chests grabbing items here and there. The god slowly rose from his position to streach out. Sure the stings were still painful, but it was much better than it was before. 

"Oh, hey. You're up, want any porkchops?" Steve casually offered, yet Herobrine waved him off.

"Gods don't need to eat, we don't feel hunger."

"Well you guys don't need to sleep either right? So you don't get tired, but when you do sleep, it helps you heal up. Don't you think eating might also have something to do with that?" Steve retorted, grabbing the porkchops out of the hot furnace. 

"Hm, all right mortal." The god waltzed over and Steve handed him the hot food. They both sat down and ate as the sun made its way over the horizon, lighting up the room along with it. Still trying to get on the gods good side to avoid certain death, Steve had an idea.

"Since you haven't been in the overworld for some time, I could show you the new mobs that are here if you want." Steve suggested as he chewed his food. The god paused and thought for a moment, resting his head in his hand. Even though he said he'd be off today, it would probably be useful to know about the new entities that were now here with them. Yet he didn't want to seem like he, an all powerful god, needed help from some miner.

"Alright, since you insist." Hero responded, finishing off his porkchop.

"Okay then, lemme just get ready and then we're good to go." The rest of the day, Steve had shown Herobrine all of the new mobs that made their arrival during his absence. They planned to venture out to two bioms, the taiga and a snowy tundra. That day Steve showed the god foxes, and how they could carry items around. Hero seemed to have a certain fondness for the small animal, whether it be the fluffy tail or the small nose. They then set out to the cold open land that was the snowy tundra. Polar bears, Herobrine claimed, seemed like horses but bigger, had snow white fur, and a more agressive attitude.

Steve would explain how there were many more new animals to see, and how they're in all different kinds of places. Neither person admitted it, but they rather enjoyed exploring the vast lands that day. Even if one was a deadly god, and the other just a simple miner with a knack for adventure. Steve might have even laughed during one of their conversations. If he had been told that he'd be wandering around with a deadly god just because he wanted to see a few mobs, he would have completley denied it. But soon enough one day turned into one week, and that into nearly a month and they'd barely even realized it. They had traveled to jungles, deserts, and oceans of all kinds to see the new mobs. Hero would sometimes stay at Steve's home, or venture out for the night. The amount of guards patroling the area had apearently gone down, so Hero could venture out in the open when it was dark if he wanted to. Things had taken quite a different turn than the miner had expected after he realized he'd be helping a wanted god. 

The more Steve looked back at the adventures they'd been on, the more he realized that maybe the Nether god wasn't as terrifying as he'd once thought he was.


	4. The Pig Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to PuppyLuv230 for this suggestion!  
> After much negotiation between the two, the duo decides to take a visit to the deep pits of the Nether. Instead of a quick trip, they find themselves on a whirlwind tour of the undiscovered ruins that now tower over lava pool and house hundreds of gold loving pigs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait, but now i'm back and will hopefully be able to post more frequently! I apologize for how rushed the previous chapter was, I had nearly ran out of time before I had to leave. Thank you for your suggestions and I hope you enjoy!

#  The Pig Ruins 

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"I really don't see why we're doing this."

"You agreed to show me where you've been for the last thousands of years, Brine."

"Stephen, I believe you mean that you pestered me for days on end until I finally gave in."

"Well you continuously talk about the Nether, so how am I not to get curious? Also is it like this or...?"

"A block higher." Herobrine pointed a block higher from where Steve was placing the purple obsidian rock. For the past few days, the god had been following the miner from cave to cave in search of the lava rock. Apparently Steve had grown curious about the firey hell that Hero was forced to call 'home' for a couple thousand years. He hadn't stopped talking about it for at least two whole weeks before the god had finally caved in and agreed to help him. Herobrine put the blame on Steve's curiosity, but he also knew he did frequently talk about it to the mortal.

The god would talk about the, what seemed like endless, layers of red rock that went sky high and each had pleanty of walking piglins. He would tell him how the Warped Forests were a shade of cyan blue with strange lights that seemed similar to mushrooms in the overworld. Or maybe he would talk about the Crimson red Forests with hoglins that roamed every nook and corner, and how they could throw you high into the air with their sturdy tusks. There was also the Basalt Deltas, which were extremely hard to navigate because of the pools of lava and the magma cubes the size of fully grown overworld trees. Then the Soul Sand Valley that had fossils poking out of the dark sand that spread across the terrain for miles. Who the bones belonged to, no one knows. And frankly, Hero told Steve that he would rather not find out.

In hindsight, Hero should have expected the miner to do something like this sooner. After they'd first met, the two slowly became quite the tight duo. Partly because the wayward god didn't really have anywhere else to go, and also being that the two enjoyed the other's company. Of course, Steve would always invite Alex to join their many explorations so she wouldn't be left out. And she would come along many times, but even she noticed how much they'd been together. The warrior always found it humorous to watch them converse with each other. A deadly god looking for help, and a simple miner with a gold heart.

Apperently Alex had also talked to Steve about the Nether, which only added to his interest. She told him about the treasured that were hidden deep inside fortresses and ruined castles. Yet, until Herobrine, neither had any idea how to get to the dimention.

Ever since Steve had figured out that they could easily make a portal, that's all he talked about aside from the occasional metion of his cow, Tulip. The god tried to warn the mortal of the dangers that lurked within the Nether, but Steve assured him that he could take care of it. Even more so since he had an all powerful god by his side, which almost guarenteed that they'd be safe.

"Brine, you alright? You're spacing out." Steve waved his hand back and forth in front of the gods face, trying to bring him into the present.

"Hm? Oh, yes i'm alright. Just lost in thought." Herobrine said, also taking a glance at the now finished, yet unlit, nether portal. A shiver ran down his spine as old memories crossed him mind. An argument, shoving, destruction, and pain. Lots of pain. But before he could go deeper into his thoughts, he heard the click of metal against flint and a fire crackled to life. The flame quickly spread around the entrance of the portal and swirled into a deep violet before letting out a small gust of wind, accompanied with small, purple particles. 

Steve could feel his heart throb faster in his chest, as excitement bubbled within him. The miner reached a hand out, feeling a faint heat radiate from the mysterious purple portal. Before he could go further, a hand gripped his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"Steve, are you sure you want to go there? I can't guarentee that i'll know where we are, and there could be mobs that are nothing like you're imagining." Steve could make out the hesitance and concern that laced the god's voice. He turned around and gave Hero a reassuring look.

"We'll be okay, and if anything happens we can always come back through the portal. Right?" The god chuckled as they slowly made their way closer to the purple flames.

"You sound as if you know what you're doing." Steve dramatically gasped and gave the god a playful elbow to the side as they stood in the portal. Hero gave out a breathy chuckle as Steve felt the warmth enclose around them. It was strange how the fire didn't burn him at all, pretty different to regular fire.

"As a person who sort of knows what they're doing, I take offense to that." That was the last thing they both heard before they were gone in a flash. The world around the miner turned dark, and he couldn't feel his body. It was eerily similar to what it felt like when Brine teleported him around. The feeling was gone before he barely realized it was there, and feeling returned to his limbs and head. The first thing he felt was an intense heat, that surrounded him around all sides. He could already feel himself sweating as he stepped out of the portal and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, he was met with a deep red forest, with trees that climbed to the red rock celing. Vines matching the scarlet color hung down from these unusual trees and spiraled down to the ground. Red mushrooms, deep red grass, and pleanty of nylium dotted the hard floor that the two stood on. And if Steve squinted hard enough, he could see lava pooling out of the celing that was high above them.

While the mortal was gawking at the scarlet scene, Herobrine was stuck where he was standing. The familiar heat hit him like a train, and the feeling of being trapped forever, no way to get out, slowly creeped in. He slowly closed his fists into tight balls, trying to contain himself from dashing back through the portal. He hated how familiar everything was, how he knew what every bit of netherrack looked like, how the trees mocked him from above, and how the unbearable heat kept on coming. He had almost forgotten how hot it was in the Nether compared to the cool air of the overworld. But even if he tried to forget, he knew that he never would. The heat bothered his skin, and he almost felt sick to his stomach. Gods he wanted, no, _needed_ to get back. He had to get back to the overworld, he just _had_ to or he'd-.

"Hey, Herobrine, you okay?" The god darted his eyes up to the miner that now stood in front of him. Worry crossed his features as the miner gently grabbed the sides of his arms. Steve, the reason he agreed to come. He wanted to experience the Nether, he wanted to explore the dimension with him, and even though the god was hesitant he wanted to show him everything. He remembered he met the mortal in the overworld, he could always go back. It was okay. He shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, exhaling as he looked back at the miner.

"I'm fine, sorry. Just...Just old memories of being here." The miner's grib relaxed as he gave the god a look of sadness. 

"Brine, we don't have to stay here. We can go back if you don't wanna-"

"No, no. It's okay. I know we can go back anytime, I wanna show you around this place." Hero gave him a small smile, and Steve gave one back in return. He let go of the god's arms and tuned his head back to the forest.

"If you want to go back, just say the word okay?" Herobrine chuckled under his breath, he had to admit, he admired the miner for his kindess for others.

"Sure, now lemme show you the Crimson Forest." Hero walked into the forest with Steve hot on his trail as they passed by pools of lava and crept past hoglins. He explained the mobs of the nether in great detail to Steve, having lived here for so long. There were hoglins, piglins, blazes, and so much more to see. The god also described the layout of the nether, how there were large scale fortresses next to huge cliffs that lead straight to a huge lava ocean. While on the tour, Steve gathered new materials left and right. He pocketed roots, fungi, and all sorts of small plants, along with some crimson wood to analyze at his shack. Every now and then there would be a stray enderman that gave Steve the chance to stock up on ender pearls, since he'd been running low as of recently and needed to collect more anyway.

The god told him how the fungi he was picking up would eventually grow into the huge trees that make up the very forest they were in. And how this was only the Crimson Forest, and there were so many other uniqe places that he had to see. Steve had never imagined this is what the Nether would look like, he was expecting a lot more darkness and death. Yet, he still wouldn't want to stay here for thousands of years if he had the choice.

After around ten minutes of walking, they took a break on a small hill that had a perfect view of the large lava lake. Steve had a snack break and ate some bread while Herobrine sat quietly. Sometimes in between bites, Steve would catch a glace of the god to make sure he was okay. He seemed much calmer than before, which was a big improvement. He was just glad that the god was willing to show him this place, even when he's been through so much here. After some more small talk, they eventually started back on their adventure.

While Hero was talking on about striders and how they could effortlessly walk through lava, Steve was collecting more roots. He didn't find much in the area he was looking, but what he did find was a large pink snout right in his face as he stood back up. His first instinct was to run, but he didn't seem to be angry so the miner waited for the mob to make a move. The mob was a large human like pig, that was roughly around the same size as him. Two small tusks stuck out of his snout, and he was wearing a brown tunic with a solid gold belt. Steve recalled Hero talking about something similar called a piglin, yet he couldn't recall if they were dangerous. He stood stiff as a board as the piglin leaned in and took a whiff of the miner. The mob backed up and looked Steve up and down, before looking at him with narrowed eyes. 

Steve swallowed as he saw the piglin draw out a gold axe from his belt, yet before he could swing, Steve was off running.

"Not many people know about the strider, yet they are facinating creatures. Oh! They also usually spawn deep-"

"Brriine!" Steve came running past him, dragging him along as they sprinted/stumbled across the crimson landscape. Herobrine regained his footing and began to catch up to the miner.

"Steve, what's going on? Why are you-"

"Are piglins dangerous?" Steve cut him off as he dodged an oncoming tree.

"Wh... Only if you don't have gold armor on, why?" Multiple snorts and heavy footsteps answered the god's question as he turned around to be met with a group of angry piglins close behind. The god slapped his forehead.

"Gods how could I forget? Alright, Stephen follow me and stay close." The mortal nodded as Hero began to make quick turns, weaving through the thick crimson trees. They ducked under warped wood, and jumped over lava pools. Suddenly, the god jumped onto one of the crimson vines that hung from the trees and began to climb. Steve followed suit until they made it to the top of a crimson tree, far above the ground where the piglins angrily grunted.

The two were out of breath and took a moment to regain their composure. Herobrine snapped his fingers and a shiny golden helmet appeared in his hands. 

"I forgot to get you gold armor, as long as you wear this, the piglins wont harm you." Steve thanked him and slipped on the gold helmet onto his head. A perfect fit. 

"Why aren't you wearing anything gold though?" Steve questioned the god.

"I'm the Nether god, Stephen. They know not to get near me." Steve nodded and took a look at their surroundings, taking in the unusually tall trees, the gigantinc black fortress, and the piglins that roamed below...

"Wait, what? Brine, what's that huge building over there?" The miner questioned, pointing in the remnant's direction. Herobrine's eyes seemed to widen at this, as he stepped forward and squinted. After a minute he backed up and let out a surprised sigh.

"That right there is a Bastion Remnant. Thats pretty much a piglin fortress that had all sorts of things in it. I've only heard about Bastinon Remnants from other piglins i've met, yet i've never seen one before." Steve looked back at the remnant and whistled, who knew human like pigs could build something like that. 

"What are the 'things' inside?"

"Well, they have a love for gold, hence the gold armor. So they've probably got lots of that in there, and i've heard they might have diamond or even netherite in there." Steve crossed his arms and looked the fortress up and down. It looked pretty beat up, lots of open holes and lava pouring from inside out. The miner looked over at the nether god.

"Should we head inside?" Hero nearly choked on his own spit when he heard the suggestion. Neither of them had been inside one of these things, so they have no idea what could be waiting for them. Steve had somehow gotten him here, he didn't know if he'd go any further.

"Steve, we have no idea whats inside. There could be hundreds of piglins waiting for us, or traps could be set up that could kill you. It's a really big risk." The miner thought for a moment.

"Well, you could always teleport us out of there if things get too icey. And I was thinking, since you haven't ever been inside there, we could explore it together so not all of the memories here are bad. We might even find some cool stuff, but what im saying is that we could make good memories so you might be more comfortable here." There he goes again with his persistant kindness, mortals are quite strange to Herobrine. He'd managed to get Herobrine this far, what was a little further?

"Heh, you know what? Sure. But you've gotta make sure to wear that the whole time or else you're gonna get attacked." Hero nudged at his chestplate, and looked back at the piglin fortress. Steve inwardly smiled, he was glad he agreed. Steve knew how uncomfortable the Nether made him, so the fact that he'd opened up to do more things here was definitley a sign of improvement. Hopefully, this would do some good for him.

"Alright, lets head over then!"

\---------------------------------

Herobrine had teleported them over to a large hole that lay on the side of the Bastion Remnant. It was a quiet and convinient spot for sneaking in and out without being noticed. The god glanced up at the ruined building as Steve made his way through the hole in the wall. The whole base was cracked and looked like it would fall apart at any second without warning. After taking a mental note to remember that, he followed the miner into the remnant.

The hole lead to a tight, dark space that was barely illuminated with flickering lanterns. There were broken stairs that lead spiraling upwards higher into the piglin's home, and they both had to watch out for lava that flowed out of cracked walls. The floor beneath them crumbled every now and then as the two made their way through the dark paths, which caused some stumbling along the way. Even though there weren't any mobs nearby yet, the two still kept their guard up and stayed alert. They twisted and turned down multiple hallways and climbed up stairs until they finally broke to a bridge that lead to a whole other section of the fortress.

"Geeze, that took while." Steve said as they started down the bridge, passing a few curious piglins along the way. Though none one of them dared to attack with the Nether god this close in range. Herobrine nodded as he looked out over the lava ocean that lay bubbling far below the bridge, along the crimson forest that lay beyond. The god had to admit that the mobs had chosen one of the more tasteful scenic spots in the Nether. The god saw the Nether so differently when he knew that he wouldn't be stuck for good, he could take in the strange sights that were before him and not have to worry about much else. Even though he was a god, he still had to collect materials so he'd have a place to stay and keep himself busy. 

Once the duo had breached the second wing, they were met with a huge room that had multiple floors along the walls and one big hole down the center that lead to a large lava pool. Ruined bridges barely held themselves across the gap as piglins crossed back and forth across. The beings roamed around on all floors, seeming to be on guard or at least watching something. Remnants of old cages and cells could be seen on the top floor, slowly decaying as the years go on.

"Wow. Wasn't expecting something like this." Steve felt himself say as he peered over the edge, spying on the piglins. "You've never been inside one of these things?"

"Never found one before." The god cooly stated as he came next to Steve to peer over the edge as well. Steve looked back down and tried to see what else was at the bottom, and he soon realized that if he looked hard enough, he could see a pile of something in the middle of the lava. The bridges were blocking his line of view, so they'd have to get down closer if he wanted to figure out what it was. 

"Brine, I think there's something down there. Lets try hopping down." The miner said as he looked around for a way to get down, as the god slowly followed close behind. They would discover cracked holes in the floor that they could slip through, and there'd be the occasional hidden staircase that hid behind thin walls. Hero had offered to teleport them down there, but Steve had insisted that they explore every inch of the room.

Luckily, no piglins had gotten bothered by their sudden intrusion so the trip down to the bottom went fairly smoothly. Upon finally setting foot on the final floor, Steve glanced up at the center of the pool to see a pile full of gold and chests, out in the open, begging to be cracked open. He even realized that they could easily hop over there using the rocks that stuck out of the lava. Steve began shaking Herobrine's arm, to get the god's attention on the newfound treasure.

"Hm? What is it Ste-... Well, would you look at that." The god had paused and stopped to take a good look at the goods that were displayed before them. The god could feel the energy bouncing off of the miner as he straightened himself up. Steve has an excited smile plastered on his face, throughout all of his adventures he'd never found as much treasure as what was right in front of him. He knew he shouldn't take it, but he at least wanted to see what treasure the piglins stored.

"Okay, I know we shouldn't take anything since it's their stuff. But do you think they'll mind if we at least take a look at what they have?" Steve suggested, flickering his eyes over to the god's pale white ones. Hero paused and looked around them for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure that as long as we don't touch anything, we should be alright." Steve nodded as he stepped out closer to the lava and prelared to skip across. Using his skills from jumping across ravines and caves, he leaped from rock to rock, making sure to keep his balance. Once Steve had reached the prize, he brushed off any burns on his pants and motioned for the other to come over.The god had only needed to float over to meet the miner in the middle. Steve sarcasticically rolled his eyes with a smirk as Herobrine let out a snicker. 

Steve had walked over to one of the two chests and unhooked the latch. Before opening the box, he'd looked around to make sure none of them were upset yet. Once the coast was clear, he fully opened the treasure and wasn't dissapointed with what he found. The god stuck his head in with the mortal to see what lay inside.

"Spectral arrows, netherite, a roughed up disk, and tons of gold." Steve mumbled to himself, taking a closer look at the loot they'd found. Yet, before either could get another word in, Steve heard a 'tak' noise againt the lid of the chest and peered over to take a look. Upon inspection, he found an arrow lodged deep within the carved wood of the desk. And when Steve followed the arrow back to it's sender, he found an angry piglin staring right back, already loading his crossbow with another shot.

Steve panicked and whipped out his sword in defense, readying himself for the next attack.

"Why'dya close the chest?" Herobrine said before a piercing arrow came shooting through the air. Yet, this didn't faze the god as he caught it mere inches away from his face and snapped it in two. "Huh, nevermind." The exchange had caught the attention of many piglins as they all started snorting and gathering around the edges of the floors. Hero summoned his sword and readied himself alongside Steve.

"Well, at least they can't reach us here." Steve tried brightening up the situation before two piglins dropped from a bridge above them, brandishing sharp golden swords. The mobs charged for the two, yet they were easily cut down before they could do any damage. The miner's relief was short lived, because before he knew it, arrows begain raining down from all floors of the Bastion. Steve and Hero deflected the arrows with their swords, only getting minor scrapes from the attack. In a moment's notice, Hero had gripped the miner's shoulder and teleported them to the way they'd come into the wing. Steve stumbled a bit from the sudden loss of feeling, but quickly regained his foot before the piglins could catch up to them.

The two had made a break for it across the bridge, knocking any piglins off of the platfort to clear the path. The miner had glanced over to the god, worried that he'd ruined the god's experience in the Bastion, only to find him laughing and turning to look at Steve. He blinked, feeling his heart flutter at the genuine smile that Herobrine had on his face. He should smile more often. bHis mouth spread into a smile and Steve was laughing right alongside him while being chased by deadly war pigs. 

Yet when they started to catch up, Steve blindly yanked Hero up a new set of stairs, just trying to put distance between them and the angry mob of pigs. He could feel dust crumble from the celing from all of the movement and weight that was being put on the tower. Yet they kept going, not like they had much of a choice anyways.

They'd breached the roof and searched for an escape route, knowing that they didn't have much time. Yet the thing about being on a tower, is that you're up high, and the only was to get off is down.

"Hero-" Piglins marched and piled up onto the roof in one large group, blocking the only way out. Their smiles faded out, realizing the situation they were stuck in. Both parties knowing that they'd been cornered, and they had no place to run. One of the human like creatures made his way through the crowd, and stood tall in front of them all. He was a taller piglin with a solic black tunic, and a golden belt wrapped around his waist. One of the more noticable features of him was his missing left ear, and his other one half bitten off. To top it off, he gripped an enchanted gold sword to complete his look.

The presumed leader stared down the duo, while the rest of the piglins waited for his command. Slowly, the leader raised his sword from his side to point the tip right at them, and gave out a loud snort. All at once, the crowd of piglins gave out war calls/snorts and charged forward without warning. Herobrine was about to teleport them out of there, when Steve spoke up before he could act. 

"Okay I know you wanna get out but can I just try something?" Steve quickly said, as Herobrine halted and panickly looked at him. 

"Do you think you could do this another time?? You're about to be stomped to death by a bunch of pigs!"

"I know, I know, but just trust me on this one." Something about the glint in the miner's eye seemed to let Hero know that they'd get out of this in once piece. Before the god could say a word, Steve clasped Hero's hand tightly and began running the oposite direction of the mob. Neither person could stop the faint warmth in their cheeks from the sudden contact, yet they were to focused to notice each other's.

"Plus, this is gonna look really cool." Steve faintly said as they reached closer and closer to the edge of the tower, the piglins quickly becoming a little too close for comfort.

"Wait Steve the edge, we're running to the edge, wait-!" Steve had leaped off the edge of the building, pulling the nether god behind him with no hesitation. Herobrine was trying to stay true to his word and not teleport them out, yet it was quickly becoming harder and harder by the second. But just as he was about to give in, Steve pulled out an enderpearl and threw it far into the Crimson Forest. Steve realized that he could have timed that better, because the lava was becoming alarmingly close. For a second, he really thought that he'd messed up, but in the nick of time he felt everything go black and the familiar loss of his body in teleportation.

Before he realized what was going on, Steve and Herobrine were falling through the trees and vines that were the Crimson Forest. Just as he was about to hit the ground head on, Hero had teleported and caught the miner, causing them to both fall over from the impact. Steve's head was spinning as he looked over at Hero who was right next to him. There was a faint silence before the two burst out laughing, filling the empty air with happiness. They'd sat up and checked for any injuries, which thankfully were at a minimum.

"Alright, i'll give it to you mortal, that was pretty cool." Hero had crossed his arms as Steve let out a chuckle and stood up with the god.

"It's a shame we didn't grab anything while we had the chance, if we took anything, it wouldn't have mattered anyways." The god remarked as he streached his arms after the short fall. Steve shifted around and slowly pulled out a redish yellowish disk from his pocket.

"Well, I may have done something similar to that." Steve and Hero chuckeld as they took a closer look at the mysterious disk.

"We could play this disk at your house if you have a jukebox, Stephen." The miner went into thought for a moment, before coming back to reality to respond.

"I know I don't have one myself, but I know Alex keeps one with her!" Steve chimed in as he pocketed the music disk away in his pockets with the roots and fungi.

"Alright, then it's decided. We'll visit Alex and see what this disk has to offer." The two had strolled back to their portal, making sure to stay clear of any mobs on the way there. They talked about the Bastion, treasures, and their escape the whole way back. Steve suggested that they write this down so they could remember every detail, especially his escape plan that he wouldn't stop jokingly bring up every other sentence. Through all the excitement and adventure, neither of them forgot about the warmth they felt when they held each other's hand for dear life. And they both had a feeling that they wouldn't forget it anytime soon.


	5. Waltzes and Thank Yous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Nether, Steve and Herobrine take their newfound disc over to Alex's cottage to discover what the treasure has to offer. After a quick catch up, they eventually figure out what tune flows from the disc and out of the jukebox. Yet, they did much more than just study old worn down disc that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! As I said before, i'm trying to be more efficient when writing new chapters so hopefully I keep that up. Thank you all for your support on this, it really means the world to me. Feel free to comment any suggestions or thoughts, and any feedback you may have. Again, thank you all and enjoy the chapter!

#  Waltzes and Thank Yous 

\--------------------------- 

Morning light slowly creeped its way over the dew covered field, as mobs growled and retreated to the endless caves and thick forests. The more unlucky ones found themselves burning froms the sheer heat that radiated onto them. Animals slowly awoke and started roaming their surroundings in search of food, and villagers from the nearby town were out and about performing their daily tasks. And eventually, the light that glared through his windows and cast over the miner's eyes roused him out of his sleep. 

Steve slowly sat up and reached his arms high above his head, feeling his shoulders pop and back strech. He sat there, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, before pushing his covers off and sweeping his legs over the side of the bed. The oak floorboards creeked below his feet as he clumsily walked over to his kitchen table and nearly tripping on the new wool rug he'd crafted with the help of his sheep. The miner had slowly been adding things to his home, which now included many more chests and an additional furnace which sat against the wall next to his table. Along with a new potted plant there was another bed that lay in the back of the room. 

Ever since Hero had met Steve, sleeping had become a more regular habit. So Steve took it upon himself to make the god his own bed, so he'd be more comfortable and actually have a place to sleep other than his floor. At first, the god claimed he didn't need it and it was a waste of space because he said he was just fine outside with the stars and fresh air. But after he'd slept in his new bed for the first time, Steve noticed that he'd use it quite frequently and seemed to enjoy the comfort. Sure he'd still wander around the overworld at night or venture out, it still made Steve happy that the god would use it. 

Steve reached inside the chilled ice chest and pulled out some beef that he'd gotten the other day, and slipped it inside the furnace. Heat radiated from the stone oven and Steve leaned against it, relishing the feeling. The warmth nearly rocked him to sleep and it would have unless the miner didn't smell a bitter scent wafing through the air. 

"Bitter? Eh, probably someone cooking. I should check on the beef soon...Wait." Steve tore himself from his thougths after the sudden realization and quickly took out the, now blackened, piece of beef. He tossed the burning food back and forth between his hands before setting it down on his table. Steve blew on his hands to soothe the burning sensation and took a look at the mess he'd created that lay on his table. He sighed as he walked over to take a seat at one of the chairs while wiping his hands on his dark blue jeans. 

"Can't let good food go to waste..." He thought before taking a bite out of the charred meat. It wasn't as bad as he expected it to be, but he still scrunched his face up a bit in dissatisfaction. Across the table was the disc that he and the god were going to take over to Alex's. He glanced at it before pulling it across the table, still munching on his breakfast, and analyzing it up close. 

The whole disc was tinted a reddish color with a yellow center, as they'd noticed earlier. A much different look compared to other discs he'd seen in his lifetime. Well, Steve couldn't even remember the last time he saw one of these other than his early memories. He remembered the times when the village that he lived in would hold parties and dances, playing all sorts of music throughout the day and into evening. But other than that, it's been ages since he'd last seen one. 

Steve rubbed his thumb over the small ridges that were engraved in the plastic like material. Each line had it's own purpose, it's own part to play in making the song string together. He leaned back in his chair, still holding onto the small item. The miner often wondered what his own purpose was in the land he'd been in. The earliest thing he could remember was waking up to a wide grassy field, no one around, only him and his mind. Why was he there? What was he supposed to be doing? 

He'd seen other people become architects and build the most amazing buildings, or others who mainly trained themselves to fight off mobs and protect towns and villages. Alex was like that, he thought. She loved roaming around at night to get some action in, and often stayed around the outskirts of the village to help protect the townspeople. Some people even just take up jobs within their towns and help the community thrive together. Other people had gone through growth and become part of the many others who were so well reconized and a huge help to the villages. But Steve wasn't a part of that. 

He felt like he didn't have a role to play in the situation. He was like a backround character that appeared to help every now and then, but nothing major. The villagers had grown to like him and even call him their friend, which helped a little bit. But he still felt like he didn't measure up to every one else around him. Sure he was a good source of materials for blacksmiths, but nothing major. He did know that mining used to be a popular proffesion to take in this town, but safer and more efficient ways to gather materials had been developed which caused not many people to take up being miners. And the addition of iron golems didn't call for as much armor or weapons to be produced, so blacksmiths didn't need as many ores and certianly didn't give as many emeralds anymore. 

He knew that he could try living in the village to feel more connected, yet he didn't want to be confined to one place when he could be venturing out in the overworld. If he stayed in the village, he'd have to find a job that payed good emeralds so he could keep a place to stay. But right now, he had his self made home in a nice spot in the wilderness where he was free to do what he wished. Despite wanting to be like others, he could never part with exploring the deep musty caves that winded deep into the earth The excitement of finding a large vein of iron or coming across a large ravine always cheered him up. So at the moment he felt like he was stuck between two worlds, and he didn't know what move to make next. 

Before he could think about how disconnected he felt and go deeper into his thoughts than he already was, the familiar sound of teleportation filled the silence of his home.

"You ready to head over to Alex's?" Herobrine questioned as he walked up to the sitting mortal. The miner blinked a few times, coming out of his state. 

"Hello to you too, and yeah just give me a second." He'd finished the beef long ago and set down the disc to get his shoes on. The god picked it up and spun it around in his hand a few times while the miner was getting ready. After putting on his shoes, the two walked and floated out the door into the dreary day. Clouds swarmed high above, threatening to spill rain any minute. A slight breeze pushed it's way across the field and into the woods that lay ahead. There had recently been more soldiers roaming around the area recently, but with the weather being so dreary they figured it would still be okay for the god to roam around in the daylight. 

They made their way into the thick forest, the path paving its way through the oak trees. Hero lifted the disc up once more, getting a close look at it. 

"What do you think it's gonna sound like?" Steve questioned as he kept checking the clouds above, waiting for rain droplets to start spilling down on them. 

"Hm, i'm not sure. I haven't heard enough music to guess." Steve looked over at the nether god, confusion crossing his features. 

"Hold on, aren't you supposed to be thousands of years old and crossed over all sorts of biomes and towns?" He asked, using his hands for more emphasis. 

"Well, sorry, scratch that. I've probably heard lots of music before, but I just don't remember it. Probably been hundreds of years since i've heard of anything like it. Didn't know that the Nether had it's own taste in music." Hero atempted to lighted the mood at the end after his depressing confession. Steve caught on to the act and smiled, looking back at the road in front of them. 

Walking through the breezy forest was quite calming, just the gravel below them making crunching noises against their worn down shoes filled the air. Yet, it wasn't the only thing that filled the air for long. After a couple of minutes, the miner felt a small drop of water land on his cheek from above. He reached up to touch the droplet, and bringing it in front of his face to see. Herobrine was about to question his actions when more droplets fell from the sky. The god looked up and was greeting with a face full of rain. In a matter of minutes, rain was pouring down on the two. 

They'd started jogging along the path, Steve knowing that they were almost there. Herobrine would have teleported them there, but he didn't know the area well enough to make it accurate. For all he knew he could have accidentaly taken them to the middle of the village. Dim and faded lights could be seen through the storm, coming right from Alex's house. The duo made a dash for the door and Steve began quickly knocking on her front door. They heard shuffling on the other side, but no one came to answer. He tried knocking harder this time, but to no avail. 

"This is taking too long." Hero flatly said before, without warning, grabbing Steve's shoulder and teleporting them inside her house. Steve being caught off guard from the sudden loss of feeling in his body fell over with an 'oof' when they arrived inside. The god landed perfectly on his two feet, smirking at the miner's graceful entrance. 

"Not a word." Steve mumbled as he picked himself up off the floor just as Alex walked in. She just paused at the two soaking people that were now somehow inside her house, a huge puddle accumulating below their feet. 

"Alright, welcome I guess?" Alex slowly said as she went over to her fireplace to start it up. 

"Sorry for the intrusion, it's pouring outside and we had to get out of it fast." Steve said as he shook his head and ruffled his hair, trying to get the water out. Herobrine on the other hand, just lit up fire that surrounded him, drying him in an instant. Yet he was still careful not to burn down the wooden cottage. 

"Ha, showoff." Alex jokingly said as she passed the two to put away her flint and steel. "But what do you guys need?" She yelled from the other room, and Steve spoke up back. 

"We were wondering if we could borrow your jukebox. We found a disc in the Nether and wanted to see if it still plays." Alex dashed from the other room and swiftly took the disc out of the gods hands to get a look at it. 

"Dang you found this in the Nether? Thats new." She said while turning the disc upside down, checking every nook and cranny it had to offer. She gave the disc back to the miner and put her hands on her hips. 

"So what you need my jukebox for it?" Steve nodded, fiddling with the disc. "Okay, you can use it. For a price!" The miner groaned and tilted his head back. Alex had charged him for using her stuff before, like her enchantment table or her anvil. 

"Alright fine, name your prize." Steve played along with her game with a tired smirk, not wanting it to be too bad. The girl tapped her chin in thought, thinking of all the things she could take from him. She glanced at the disc in his hands and she perked up. 

"Oh, alright. How about you've gotta get me something cool from the Nether. Something like from the same spot you found the disc." Steve sighed in content, happy that it wasn't something ridiculously hard to find. He could probably give her a few spare spectral arrows that she could use during one of her fights. 

"Okay, consider it done! Now for our end of the deal." Alex lead them across the room to a large brown checkered item, that the two assumed was the jukebox. It had a slot in the top, the perfect size for the disc they'd been carrying around. 

Steve pulled the disc forward, looking at the two for confirmation. Alex was practically shoving it in for him, getting impatient from waiting. The disc easily slipped inside, and they could hear the inner mechanics twisting and turning as it processed the worn disc. For the first few seconds, only static and scratching spewed out from the jukebox. Steve and Alex just looked at each other while the god came forward, and gave a small kick to the device. 

"Hey, careful with that-" Alex was cut off with the sound of deep horns coming from the music player, a faint beat in the backround. The horns soon escalated into a full fledged song, bringing a steady tune that drifted throughout the home. It wasn't similar to anything the trio had heard before, and frankly quite catchy. Steve's foot tapped against the hardwood floor, joining the rythm of the song. This caused Alex to start tapping her hand against her thigh with the beat, being swept with the song. 

She and Steve soon ended up doing small dance moves around the room, taps here and spins there. Alex seemed to know more about the subject, and would make more complicated steps that flowed with the song. Even though Steve wasn't as skilled in the field, he still moved his shoulders and took smaller steps with the rythm. Though throughout their dancing, Herobrine was stiff as a board and hadn't moved since the song started. Sure it was catchy and he was even tapping his fingers along with it. But he didn't make a single move. 

"You joining in Brine?" Steve questioned as the music slowly started to die down around them. The god gave an akward smile and put both of his hands up in front of him. 

"Ah, i'm alright Stephen. I really don't know much about this." Steve tilted his head in confusion, before slowly getting the message. 

"You don't know much about dancing?" The miner asked. "I don't either!" Steve laughed to himself, yet the god still didn't move from his spot. He walked over to restart the disk and turned to face Hero again. "I'm just aimlessly moving around with the music. It isn't too hard." Steve tried reassuring the god, and backed up to demonstrate. 

"You just have to try not to focus too hard on it, and just do what feels right." Steve said as he moved his shoulders along with his arms, and shifted his feet around. Hero slowly came forward and tried copying Steve's movements yet they came out more stiff and not as natural. 

"Instead of copying me, try doing your own!" The god stopped and tried to focus on the beat of the music. He took a step to the right, and moved his arms back and forth along with his shoulders. Taking steps every now and then to keep the movement going. 

"Yeah! Just like that!" Steve encouraged while Alex snickered from the sight in front of her. Hero shot a deadly glare at her which only made her laugh a little louder. This went on for awhile longer, just the three friends dancing around Alex's house. Herobrine got more comfortable with dancing, Steve learned a thing or two from Alex, and she just laughed at the god's attempt to copy her movements. A pretty nice day if you asked them. 

A few hours passed as the trio danced around, talking with each other. And it would have continued on for longer if a loud crack of thunder hadn't shaken the ground beneath them. The god walked over and glanced outside the window. The sky was getting darker and the rain had evolved into a thunderstorm that didn't seem like stopping anytime soon. 

"We should probably be heading back, it's getting darker and the rain is picking up." The girl playfully stuck out her tounge at the white eyed man. 

"You guys can always teleport back whenever you want, whats the rush?" Alex questioned as she took out the disk and set it on a nearby desk. 

"It's always riskier at night, so it's better to play it safe." The god retorted and the girl sighed. 

"Yeah, that's fair. But at least lemme show you another disk i've got so I wont be lonleey." She dramatically dragged out the last word but Steve's head perked up at this. 

"You've had a disc and never told me?" Alex rumaged around a nearby chest. 

"I actually just got it yesterday, a creeper jumped in front of a skeleton by accident and dropped it. Also, tea anyone?" Steve raised his hand and Hero declined the offer. 

"I'm gonna go heat some water up, i'll let you guys listen to it while your waiting." She popped in the disk and dissapeared into a different room. Steve had gotten a quick glance at the disc, and saw that this one had more of a black color to it. And the center was decorated with a purple and white striped pattern. A mysterious yet melancholy tune swept through the air. It carried a much different feeling than the one Steve and Herobrine had found. This one was heavy and had a much different tone. 

Yet Steve realized he reconized the familiar tune. Back when he lived in a village far from here, one of the songs they would play was this very one. They reserved it for slower dances like the waltz. The miner vaguely remembered being lead around the center of the village with his friends, waltzing all the way throughout the evening. 

Herobrine on the other hand, felt more relaxed with this tune. It felt more smooth and not as jumpy at the previous one. He slowly moved around the room, making wide steps first and pulling his body with him. 

"Hey Brine, theres actually a specific dance that goes with this song!" Steve chimed as he watched the god calculate his steps around the room. He stopped his actions to look at the mortal. He motioned for him to show him what it was, so Steve walked closer. 

"It's a two person thing, so two people dance together at the same time." Hero raised an eyebrow at this, not knowing that there could be partners in dancing. "Could I, uh, show you? If you want, that is." Herobrine shrugged his shoulders and agreed to the offer. Steve stepped forward and took the god's right hand and lead it out to the side while using his other hand to guide Hero's hand to his hip, then putting his hand on his arm. This brought them nearly chest to chest, so pretty close. 

The sudden close contact caused Herobrine's heart to thud in his chest, not expecting this. He didn't understand why his heart continued to hammer so often, but he kept on ignoring the feeling. Steve on the other hand felt his cheeks turn a slight tint of pink, yet pretended not to notice. 

"So this is the basic form, pretty standard, and one person guides the other around the room. Here, i'll start off." Steve took a step back, which caused Hero to take one forward. He lead him slowly around the room, barely turning to make sure that the god slowly got used to the dance. And soon enough, he did. They both took turns guiding the other around the room, spinning around while making sure the other didn't bump into anything. 

Hero had started feeling confident with his movements until his foot got caught under a loose floorboard, causing him to trip forwards onto Steve. When he realized that they were falling, the god quickly regained his footing and managed to catch Steve before he hit the floor. Even though they were both a little disoriented, they just stayed like that for a minute as they looked at each other eye to eye. Almost like they were stuck in that very moment. Hero slowly pulled Steve up, not breaking eye contact. Darn his heart beating in his chest, he'd have to ask Steve about it later. 

"Get a room you two geeze." Both of their heads whipped around to see Alex leaning against the door frame, two hot cups of tea in each of her hands. Steve couldn't hold back the red color that crossed his cheeks, and awkwardly laughed as he walked over to grab the tea. He gave her a jab in the arm as she smiled at him. Hero lightly laughed with Steve before following him over to the girl. He slightly punched her jokingly in the shoulder, which caused the girl to let out a chuckle. 

Eventully the subject was changed and the night progressed. Yet the god couldn't stop thinking about the moment they had, and how his heart would pound in his ribcage whenever he thought back to it. He wasn't nervous or scared, why would he be? He scratched those possibilities off the table and continued to think. Yet the god didn't have much time to focus because the conversation continued on, and he had to keep up. 

Finally, Alex called it a night and ushered them out. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were out and about. 

"Make sure to visit again if you find anymore discs, this was really fun!" She waved and wished the two a good night as she shut the door and the lights went out. Steve was waving back to her as they started walking back along the gravel path. 

"She was right, this was actually pretty fun." Steve commented, looking up at the night sky. 

"Yeah..." Herobrine paused for a moment, thinking. "Stephen, i've been wanting to thank you." Steve turned his head over to the god from the sudden change in tone. 

"For what?" 

"For, this. You've given me the opportunity to do all this and make memories, and I just wanted to thank you for that." The god averted his eyes as he felt his cheeks heat up, not wanting to look at the miner. He would think this display of weakness was pathetic, or just plain stupid. He would obviously think little of him and make fun of him for it and-. 

"Of course, i'm really glad that you're happy." He peeked over to the mortal slightly. "I probably don't know half of the stuff you've been through, but from what it seems like, you deserve to have peace and be safe. And thanks to you, i've got to know and experience so much more than I thought was possible." The miner looked over and gave a sincere smile that was illuminated from the dim moonlight. 

His heart pounded against him again, but he pushed it away for now. He gave a small smile in return before grabbing the mortal's arm and teleporting them back to Steve's home. As expected, Steve toppled over while the god stood perfectly upright and laughed. 

"Warn me next time oh my gosh. I thought we were having a touching moment but-." He cut himself off with his own laughter, and slowly stood back up while using Herobrine's shoulder as support. 

"Hah, yup. But you should probably turn in, it's pretty late and more mobs are starting to spawn." Steve yawned in agreement and slopily took off his shoes and left them next to the door. He sat down on his bed and flopped his head onto the pillow. 

"Welp, see you in the morning Brine." Steve lazily said as he got comfortable under his sheets. Hero couldn't help but smile and say his goodbyes before teleporting off into the open land of the overworld.


	6. The Puzzle Pieces Click

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve wakes up not so pleasantly, only to find that people are here to scope out the area for the wanted god that is currently snoring in his sleep at his house. Overall Steve punches a man, Herobrine needs help figuring things out, and Alex gives advice while cooking chicken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this one took awhile haha. But overall i'm pretty happy with how it came out. I know I say this often, but thank you all for your support for this story, it means a lot to me. Small changes have been made to a few previous chapters. Any thoughts about the story or suggestions in the comments are greatly appreciated, and thank you all for reading this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

#  The Puzzle Pieces Click 

\-------------------------

It had gotten worse. Much, much worse than Hero ever thought it would. The pounding in his chest hadn't let up whatsoever, and continue to plague him whenever it came around. Well, whenever Steve came around, that is. It didn't happen every time time he was with Steve, but whenever the miner gave him a soft smile or nudged his shoulder, his heart would run a million miles an hour and heat rapidly rose up to his cheeks. The god would have to quickly calm down before Steve could notice the change. 

This was new to the god, he'd never felt anything similar to what he was feeling now. It wasn't the deadly effects of poison or withering, not slowness or nausea. If anything, it almost felt like all of them at once, but with a sickly sweet feeling to numb the pain. For a few months now, he'd brushed it off in hopes it would just dissappear or slowly ebb away over time. But of course, he was wrong. 

Just the other day, they were in the nearby village and Steve was bargaining away with the locals. He said he had to grab some ice to replace the melting ice chest that sat in his house. If he didn't get some new ice soon, there would be a large puddle seeping into his oak wood floor. The trader had given Steve a large string bag filled with the ice so it would be easier to carry. He thanked the villager and turned around to make his way back home. 

Herobrine couldn't be within the village in plain sight, or someone could see him and report the sighting to Notch. And right now, that's the last thing Hero needs. So once Steve reached the outskirts of the town where the houses became more sparse, he teleported himself off of the rooftops and right next to the miner. Steve was barely fazed, as this became their normal routine whenever the miner had to venture into the village. 

The miner had convinced him to take the scenic route back home, saying that the sun would be setting and it would be a nice walk. Who was Hero to say no? He was trying to enjoy every moment of the overworld before anything happened that would drag him back to the Nether. It wasn't just a simple excuse so he'd be able walk next to Steve, no sir. Nothing of the sort. 

As they reached the oak forest, dusk cast its soft light on the trees that hung overhead yet still leaving enough light to see the pathway. This was one of the two's favorite times of day, when the sun was just about to cross the horizon, and the sky was painted with all sorts of different colors side by side with the clouds. Gravel crunched beneath their shoes as a light breeze swept it's way through the forest and leaves scattered left and right. The god relished every breeze that came past, something that you couldn't get in the Nether. A small clacking noise disrupted nature's silence, even though it wasn't very loud it was definitely noticeable. It could have been the string wrapped ice bag that the miner held in his arms, or the wind that made its way across the trees, but he could see the miner's goosebumps and how his teeth slightly chattered. He could tell that the chilled breeze was nipping at his skin. 

Realizing that Steve was cold, the god stopped walking and slipped his black coat off of his shoulders so he could grasp it in his hands. He could have sworn that out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tint of pink make itself known on the miner's cheeks. But for now, he brushed it off as Steve stopped walking as well and turned to face him. 

"Here, take my jacket. It'll keep you warm." Steve looked up at the god and chuckled. 

"Thanks Hero, but won't you be cold? You may be a god and all, but that doesn't mean you're immune to the cold." Now it was Hero's turn to snicker, he took the ice bag out of the miner's hands despite the slight hesitation that Steve gave. That's another thing that Herobrine would never understand, why Steve would care for his well being. Steve's a mortal and Hero's a god, he should be looking out for himself more often. But despite that fact, Steve continues to make sure to care for Hero's health. 

"I have my fire to keep me warm, Steve." Hero held out his left hand in front of him to demonstrate while holding his jacket in his right. A spark of fire slowly rose as it illuminated the area around them, emanating heat. He could see Steve's eyes reflect the light, fascinated how the god could do it. But with a flick of his hand, the fire was out and smoke slowly rose from his palms. 

The two traded items, Herobrine holding the bagged ice and Steve sticking his arms in the sleeves of the black coat. The two were roughly around the same size, so it seemed to fit the miner like a glove. The god could tell Steve's change in demeanor when he realized how warm the jacket was. The miner could smell smoke and oak wood emanating from the jacket, which was oddly comforting. Steve sunk into the cozy fabric, wrapping it around himself tighter with a satisfied mumble. Hero smiled and handed the string bag back to him. As Steve grabbed the bag, he looked back at him. 

"Thanks, Brine." Steve gave him one of the genuine smiles that made the god's heart just flutter in his chest. Hero handled it surprisingly well, or at least well on the outside. On the inside he felt like his head was spinning out of control and he had to force the heat away from his face. 

The rest of the walk went briskly, small talk going back and forth between the two. The sun's rays slowly creeping back as the moon began to come out for the night. When they arrived at the miner's quaint shack, Steve gave Hero his jacket and he teleported off to take a moment to breathe. Steve shrugged it off, assuming that the god was off to explore somewhere. 

Hero teleported far beyond the forest, and made his way to the roofed mushroom forest he'd discovered awhile back. It was much quieter there, and he didn't have to worry as much about people seeing him. For awhile he jumped across the treetops, just soaking in the moonlight that slowly covered the forest. Yet after a few minutes, he took a deep breath in and teleported himself high into the sky, far above the mushroom woodlands. 

He felt himself hover in midair for a moment, just floating among the sky and it's stars before letting himself fall down from the sky. As he let his breath go, the god picked up speed rather fast, feeling the harsh winds blow against his face. He'd discovered many new things since he arrived in the overworld, and one of them was falling from the sky surprisingly releases stress for him. People would find the experience rather frightening, but not for the god. 

Even past the brash winds and thick clouds, he could smell the miner from his jacket. A musty cave smell mixed with the dew of fresh grass. His thoughts shifted back to Steve, and his pulse began to rise. But for once, he just let it happen. He let his chest swell and his head spin, face heating up. It felt pretty nice to just let it go out of his control, not having to hide it. If anything, it also released stress while also feeling like it was choking him out. 

The feeling was strange, like he said before it was like all of the negative effects with a sweet aftertaste. It hurt, but it also made him feel giddy and warm. Definitely a strange feeling. He knew he'd been putting it off for too long, and he had to ask Steve about it. But just the thought of asking the miner about the pit in his stomach felt like a punch to the gut. What if it was something bad, or a feeling that would repulse Steve? 

He shuddered at the thought of Steve being disgusted or angry. He'd never seen the miner get genuinely angry, but something told him that he'd rather not see it. He'd have to go to the only other person that trusted him. If anything he wasn't even sure if she really trusted him, but he knew that she at least cared about him. Maybe. He didn't really have any other choice, other than go to Steve which was off the table. 

Just as he was getting dangerously close to the treetops, he teleported himself into the miner's shack. A slight breeze blew through the home as he stepped foot inside, he _was_ falling pretty fast. As he analyzed the dark home using the moonlight shining through the windows, he noticed the miner draped face down across the bed, not even bothering to get under the sheets. 

Herobrine gave a small laugh under his breath at the sight, he must have been pretty tired to just flop down like that. He checked to see if he was still awake, but the man was out cold. Feeling the urge to be nice, he tugged the red covers out from under the miner and laid them on top of him. Instantly, Steve seemed to sink deeper into the matress and wrap the blankets around him. 

Feeling content with his work, he walked over to his own bed and kicked off his shoes at the foot of the bed. Herobrine wrapped himself in his own light grey sheets and layed down on the pillow. He never understood why Steve slept in his bed so much until he tried it out for himself. The warmth that wraps around you with the soft sheets is sure to knock him out within minutes. Beds were much comfier than the floors of nether brick fortresses ever were.

Early the next morning, loud rapping was heard at the door. Steve groggily opened his eyes and rubbed his face. God he was exhausted, all he remembered last night was the moment he got back he put the ice away and passed out on his bed. He slowly sat up and took a deep breath in to wake him up. He took off his sheets and swept his legs off his bed and onto the wood floor. He was about to go answer the door when he paused. He never got under the sheets last night, he just fell asleep on top. Which means... 

He turned his gaze around to Hero's bed to be met with the god all tangled up in his sheets, mouth slightly open as he snored away. Steve gave a fond smile as warmth bubbled up inside his chest, and his cheeks sporting a pink tint. 

More knocking at the door forced him to turn his focus back to the task at hand. He streached his arms high above his head as he shuffled over to the oak door, tiredly mumbling under his breath. He grabbed the knob and swung the door open. 

On the other side a man stood with his arm raised, as if he was going to knock once more. He quickly gripped his arms behind his back and flashed a smile. The man wore an all black jacket with multiple small medals and awards strapped to the front. There was one large patch that was sewn into the right side of the jacket, an orange c-shaped ring that had a tiny line sticking out of the top with a white background. Gold buttons trailed down to his grey pants which were complimented by black boots with a golden buckle that wrapped around the whole boot. He wore a black shiny cap on top of his head where black strands of hair peeked out. To top it all off he wore an eye patch across his left eye and had two large scars than ran right under it. 

The man gave eye contact and took a breath in. 

"Good Mo-" Steve's eyes went wide and he slammed the door shut, pressing his back into the wood. He recognized that symbol almost immediatlely, he was sent by Notch. He must have had guards come to patrol over the night, and the duo were completely unprepared. 

Steve quickly dashed over to the sleeping god, and quickly pulled the sheets up over his face to conceal his identity. The miner ran over to his closest chest and pulled out a shield to rest against the wall, just in case. He couldn't leave the guard out on his doorstep without being suspicious, so he quickly jogged back over and reopened the door.

The man was still patiently waiting there for Steve to greet him. The smile stiffly plastered across this face, clearly forced. He took another breath in and re-greeted Steve.

"Good Morning." He said flatly, clearly annoyed with the situation. 

"Aha, sorry about that. Just...Just wasn't expecting visitors this early in the day." The man said sheepishly, leaning against the door as he looked at his now oh so interesting shoes.

"No worries, none at all. Anyways, my men and I are the NCP, the Notch Community Protection services. We're scoping the area out for a wanted man, and we're just questioning any locals." Steve gripped the door tighter as he saw soldiers already scoping out his yard, slowly approaching. He forced on a smile for the man and tried to stay calm.

"Of course, is there any way I can help?" 

"Yes indeed. Ah, forgive me, i'm the general of this group, nice to meet you...?"

"Ah, it's Steve."

"Steve, yes nice to meet you. Now, im gonna ask you a couple questions and then we're gonna come inside to inspect the premises." Steve felt like he just got punched in the gut, and all the oxygen left his lungs. 

"yeah okay." He quietly said, panicking as the general took out a clipboard with papers neatly clipped in. He pulled out a pen and clicked the end, forcing the ink out. He straightened his posture and gave a sharp smile to the miner.

"Alright Steve, first things first, have you seen any suspicious people lurking around your area lately?" Steve tried taking a deep breath to calm down his heartbeat, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Nope... Not that I can remember at least." He forced out a chuckle trying to lighten the mood, but the general just kept scribbling notes down on the paper that was in front of him.

"Second, have you seen anyone in in a black jacket with a blueish t-shirt and dark jeans? Quite similar to what you have on now actually." Steve stiffened and slowly shook his head back and forth. He and Hero had pretty similar outfits, but each had their differences. Steve had a blue shirt and deep purple jeans that had a couple tears here and there from various trips to the mine. Herobrine however had more of a faded blue t-shirt, with dark purple pants. The jeans were such a dark shade, they almost seemed like they were black. And his jacket definitely separated the two, it had a faded bronze strip that outlined the whole jacket.

"Alllright, final question for you. Have you seen any eye-shaped white lights anyw-"

"Oh wow, would you look at the time! I should probably get back to bed right now, i've gotta be somewhere later today and I need all the rest I can get. But to answer your question, no i haven't. But it was nice of you to stop by, thanks for that!" Steve quickly cut him off before he could oppose and tried kicking him out, but the general wouldn't move.

"Ah, i'm glad you feel that way! It's been nice, but we do need to check out your home for just a quick second. Once were done we'll let you get back to sleep." He looked over his shoulder at the people in his yard. 

"I need two of you guys to come do the inspection, come quick please." Two of the men jogged off from the group, dressed similarly to the general. All black but without the gold buttons or fancy shoes, just black attire and an iron helmet. They all quickly pushed past Steve and barged into the home.

Steve quickly followed the group, and they all scattered all over his shack. Looking under the carpets, checking chests, and analyzing the potted plants. During all of this, the wanted god lay sleeping in the middle of all the chaos, unnoticed.

"Oh, Steve you didn't tell me you had a roommate?" His blood ran cold as he saw the general approaching the light grey bed and staring at the heap of sheets. Steve dashed over and stood between him and the god, trying to seem calm.

"Right! Yes, this is my roommate. He's a heavy sleeper and tends to get up around noon haha." Steve felt himself swimming in sweat when the general chucked with him.

"Well, sadly we're gonna have to quickly wake him to do the same check in we did with you." The general remarked as he reached for the sheets. Steve bumped into his hand and tried to put distance between them.

"I really don't think we should do that, hes been feeling very sick lately and he needs lots of rest." The general laughed again and put a hand on the miner's shoulder, as if to reassure him.

"It will only be a minute, really." He walked past Steve, yet he didn't do anything to stop him. What could he do? There were no options, and he was backed against a wall. They were gonna find out, and Steve couldn't do anything about it. Hero was gonna go back to to the Nether for probably another thousand years, and just the thought made Steve's heart cave in on itself.

Just as the general was going to pull down the sheets, Steve panicked and punched the general in the back of the head. The sheer force and shock made him slowly sink to his knees and pass out. The other soldiers turned their attention to the scene in front of them, and the three just stood there, staring at each other.

Soon enough, the reality of the situation settled in and the two people unsheathed sharpened iron swords, the enchantment made it shimmer in the light. They charged, running at the miner with their swords drawn. Steve quickly ducked out of the way of the first man's sword and rolled behind him, grabbing his own iron sword that rested next to his chests. The second soldiers sword came clambering down against Steve's own as they struggled to overpower the other.

The iron slid against each other with a shing which gave Steve a chance to get up onto his feet. Soldier number one came running back for a round two, but the miner delivered a swift kick to his stomach and sent him to the floor. Steve barely managed to block the next attack that came for the miners side, and he quickly jumped out of the way. Yet the skilled man bent down and swept Steve's legs out from underneath him, causing him to collide with the floor.

Not being too disoriented, he quickly kicked the solider's ankled and sent him falling chest first into the floor. The miner tightened his grip and managed to make a small slash against the guy's cheek, catching him off guard. 

His pride was quickly cut off when glass shattered against his arm, and a searing pain was sent all along his upper wrist. He hissed and dropped his sword, gently grabbing his wrist to try and ease the pain. Steve turned around to see the first fighter throwing a splash potion of healing at the floor, mending his bruises. So they brought potions. The man Steve cut grabbed the fallen sword and threw it behind him, the sword getting lodged into the wooden wall. 

They all stood up, and a moment of stillness was among them. Heavy breathing filled the room and magic liquids stained the floor. The two warriors brought their swords up and began darting towards Steve from either side. Being too tired to jump out of the way, he just ducked and hoped for the best.

The two fighters didn't expect this and ended up raming into each other head on and crashed to the floor. Steve took the opportunity and grabbed their heads, knocking them against one another. Luckily, that was all it took for the two to go lights out and limply fall against each other.

Steve let his legs go out from under him, and leaned back against the hardwood floor. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins as his heart was beating out of his chest and into his ears. Weapons lay scattered on the floor around them, a sword lodged in a wall, and glass shattered all over.

Definitely not the way Steve wanted to wake up this morning.

The miner went to push himself up when the adrenaline boost wore off and he could feel the throbbing pain that shot through his arm once again. He winced and sat back down, bringing his arm in front of his face. Dark reddish-brownish liquid covered his arm and stung any area it touched. Hero had been teaching Steve about the different kinds of potions that he used to make, a splash potion of harming being one of them. 

This seemed to match the description exactly, yet it stung more than Steve thought it would. He sat there on the ground waiting for the pain to die down, which eventually it did. He was about to enjoy the relief when he heard shuffling behind him. They were back up already? Steve thought that they'd be out for at least an hour or so.

He whipped around, only to be met with a dumbstruck god that sat on his bed. The god didn't say anything, but he had the most confused expression on his face he'd ever seen. But the confusion shifted to worry when he realized the danger that had occurred.

"Steve are you-" 

"Hold on, we need to get you out of here. Notch's guards are here and we need to put distance between them." Hero's expression dropped and he glanced outside to see the small group waiting outside, completely unaware of the situation that just unfolded.

"One moment." Herobrine was gone in a flash and Steve was left with his thoughts for only a moment. A few minutes passed and he saw the guards pointing and panicking at what seemed to be rising smoke in the distance. They quickly filed out and disappeared among the trees.

Hero was back in the blink of an eye and came dashing towards Steve, bombarding him with questions.

"Steve what happened? Are you alright? How did they get in, why are they here? What did they do-?" Steve quickly calmed Hero down with a few words and slowly stood up, feeling a slight pain in his ankles. The god wrapped the miner's arms around his shoulders and helped him over to his bed. The soft red sheets providing instant comfort.

The god didn't want to pressure him, so he sat down next to the miner. Just waiting for any response. Steve chuckled at how worried the god was, but appreciated the moment. It just showed that he cared.

"Okay, from the beginning." Steve had tried to explain in as much detail he could remember about when the NCP arrived. He told him about the questions, and how they were on the search for the wanted god. He explained how they had to come inside to check, and almost found out about Hero.

"Wait you punched this guy? You punched one of Notch's officials?" Hero said with a straight face and a tight voice.

"He was gonna find out! I didn't know what else to do." Steve tried explaining himself, only to be met with silence. The god looked off to the side, and Steve thought that he was about to go off and get angry at him. But instead the man broke out in laughter, having to hold his head. The miner was amused yet very, very confused at the same time.

"Wow, okay that's pretty awesome." He said under his breath and in between breaths. Steve sighed and smiled along with him. He went on about how they broke out into a fight, yet he managed to knock them both out.

The two looked at the mess that was in Steve's house at the moment, specifically the three bodies that laid on the floor. Steve suddenly jumped up.

"Oh my god their gonna find out. They're gonna know that you're here! What should..." He paced back and forth, seeing if any real damage was done to the three people. Which thankfully, other than a few bruises, there were none. Hero stood up and slowly walked over to the two guards, and bent down to grab their shirts.

"I can take care of these two, just one sec." And, again, Hero was off.

The sandy island of Aldenas Islanos sat quietly in the middle of the calm ocean, sun rays falling over the homes of local villagers. Trees covered the majority of the island, except for the middle where the heart of the village was located, bustling with busy workers and fisherman going about their day. Lanterns lit the path that weaved through the quaint, humble village. A very calm yet exciting place to be.

On the outskirts of the village, woven between the trees, a god with two worn down soldiers appeared on the grass. Hero let go of the backs of their shirts as they slowly and groggily came to their senses. The birds chirping and the moist ground below them told the two that they were far from home.

"You're lucky that the mortal wouldn't want me do anything to harm you. But in the meantime, you two will be making yourselves at home for a long time." And with that, the god was out of sight and disappeared into thin air.

The two guards slowly lifted their heads and checked their surroundings for the voice, only to be met with tall trees and deep green bushes. Throwing them out of their confusion, a villager child comes running through the vines and thick forest and stops right in front of the two. The girl leans down with curious eyes and stares at the two confused men. Suddenly, her eyes sparkle and she practically jumps over to them.

"New people?! We haven't had anyone new in sooo long!! We can be friends, and I can show you my house!" The girl was bouncing up and down with energy as the two people just looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"Honey? Honey please don't run off like that-!" A woman in a brown dress that's tied with a rope around her waist comes through the trees. She stops in surprise when she's met with the two strangers.

"Mommy look! New people!" The mother smiles and walks over to the duo to greet them.

"Well, I suppose they are new." She says with a smile as the two regain their footing and stand up. She quickly grabs their wrists and guides them back to a large plaza that is surrounded by trees and small shops alike. Villagers hurriedly run back and forth doing their daily activities, and getting their work done.

"Everyone, we have new visitors!" The woman calls out sing-song like. All of the bustling people suddenly stop and quickly turn to the voice. They are all still until suddenly, they all come excitedly rushing over to the group.

"Hey! It's someone new!"

"Look Dad theres two of them!"

"It's been ages since anyone new has come around."

"Why are they so worn down?"

"I wonder if they'll like my coconut pie..." The large group of villagers swarm the two, greeting them happily and asking all sorts of questions. Not once could the two speak because of the excitement that rolled through the loud crowd. Instead, they both just stared at each other, completely dumbstruck. Maybe that voice wasn't joking...

The god warped back into the home to find the mortal unhinging the wayward sword that stayed stuck in the wall. With a swift yank, the iron sword came clean out and Steve stumbled back a bit from the force. 

"Finally." Steve breathed a sigh of relief as he analyzed his iron sword for any cracks or damage. Most of the room had been cleaned up, only the liquids from the potions lay across the floor. They'd fade with time, or get replaced the god assumed. 

The only thing out of place now was the body of the general that still lay hunched over, now leaning against the bed. Steve tossed his sword next to the pile of iron swords that lay next to his chests and walked over to the god.

"What did you do with the other two?" Steve questioned as the god looked over at him with a sinister look, mischief lacing his eyes. The miners look dropped with confusion and worry before the god chuckled and dropped the act.

"Just kidding, I just left them on an island pretty far from here with a bunch of villagers. They'll be fine." Steve just looked at him and shrugged, diverting his attention back over to the general. The god was trying to think of another place that he could drop off the man for a "vacation" when he slowly started to stir from his sleep. Steve began to panic and looked up at the god, hoping he'd have something planned.

Luckily he did, and he teleported out of Steve's home and into Alex's. When he arrived inside the cottage, she was leaning over her furnace, waiting for something to finish cooking. The god quickly darted over and grabbed her shoulder, teleporting her with him back to the shack.

The girl whipped around, confused, when Hero turned her to face him. 

"You're Steve's roommate. Don't question it, just act the part." He quickly said before teleporting out of the house.

Alex and Steve looked at each other for a split second before the general groaned and the miner went over to help.

"General, are you alright?" Steve questioned as he mumbled something incoherent and slowly opened his eyes. He looked to Steve, then to Alex, and then to the potion stained floor.

"Wh... What happened?" He asked Steve while he cradled his head in his hands, trying to regain his focus. Steve quickly looked at Alex for ideas but she just shrugged.

"You.. were hit! Yeah, you got hit with a splash potion in the back of the head and you passed out. One of the other guards tripped and it fell out of his hands...." Steve bit his tounge hoping that the guy would take the bait.

"O..oh. I see." He rubbed his eyes and slowly looked around the room.

"Everything was cleaned up, and you were only out for say twenty-five minutes." The general took a breath and pushed his hair back under his hat. He glanced around the room again until he saw Alex.

"Ah, you must be Steve's roommate. I'm the general of the NCP, we were just doing a quick check around the are for suspicious activity. Since i've overstayed my welcome, i'll just make it quick. Have you seen anyone in a dark blue t-shirt, a black jacket, and jeans anywhere?" Alex realized the situation, but stayed calm and swiftly responded.

"Nope, nothing of the sort sir." He nodded his head and made his way for the door, the two following his trail.

"Well, thank you two for letting me stay for so long. It seems like everything is all clear here, so i'll be taking my leave."

"Are you sure you don't need any help walking back?" Alex questioned, his head looked like it still ached.

"Oh i'll be alright, but thank you." The man turned around to make his leave, but halfway down the path he turned back around.

"Do you happen to know where my group went?" Steve quickly stepped forward to answer.

"There was a fire down east, I think they went down to take care of it."

"Ah, alright. Thank you two." He waved over his shoulder before he strode off down the grass path and into the woods. Steve shut the door and let out the largest sigh of relief he thinks he's ever done. Hero teleported back into the room and made his way over to the two. 

"Thanks for acting on such a short notice." Hero remarked as Alex turned around to face him.

"Yeah, no problem. Just glad that nothing really bad happened."

"Yeah." Steve chimed in. Hero was about to strike a conversation when Alex suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god I left my chicken in the oven." She deadpanned and was about to run out the door when Hero grabbed her shoulder and teleported them to her home. Luckily, the house didn't smell like burnt chicken so that was a good sign. She rushed over to the stove to pull out the food and set it down on top of the furnace. 

The god leaned against the doorframe as Alex sighed in relief as she let the chicken cool. Hero suddenly remembered what he wanted to talk about, and now seemed like a pretty convenient time.

"Hey, uh, do you know the feeling when your chest tightens and your face gets hot?" The god blurts out and Alex just turns around. She raises and eyebrow and motions for him to continue.

"It's like my heart starts pounding and it feels like it's hard to talk and it hurts but at the same time it feels like butterflies? It hurts but it also makes me happy?" Alex just smirks and sits down at her table with the cooked chicken.

"I've never felt like this before, it's completely new. And whenever it comes up, I just don't know why?" Hero explains, just venting what's been on his mind for the past few months now.

"I might have an idea... But a question first." Hero crosses his arms as Alex takes a bite of her chicken, recoiling a bit from the heat.

"Does it happen around a certain person?" Alex looks up from her food with a smirk. Hero feels the heat slowly run to his cheeks as he thinks about the question. He wants to say of course it does and why does it happen around this one person. Why does the person make them feel more than he's felt in a thousand years? How does Steve make him feel this way? But he just settles with a simple answer.

"Yeah... For some reason I just want to help them and be by their side when we go on adventures and...Yeah it has to do with a certain person." He diverts his gaze to Alex's small wheat field, trying not to make eye contact. But even though he isn't looking, he knows Alex is smiling away. She knows what's going on with him, she's just playing around and doesn't want to tell him. Why can't she just tell him-. 

A hand on his shoulder breaks him from his train of thought. He looks over to the warrior standing next to him, a look of fondness in her eyes.

"You feel happy when your around this person, you want to help them and continue to explore with them. You sound like you want the best for them, right?" Hero nods his head, unsure of where this is going.

"You like them, Hero." She says bluntly. Herobrine pauses and looks over at her.

"Well, yeah I like them. I wouldn't be around them if I didn't." Alex chuckles and squeezes the god's shoulder. 

"Haha, no. You like-like this person. You love them." The words gradually sink into Hero's mind, and it takes a second to really process what it means. Like-like? Why would he like-like someone? Why...

And then it all clicks.

The moments that Hero looks at Steve and gets tounge tied, when they accidentally brush against each other and the contact feels like a spark. When he laughs Herobrine's heart flutters and he feels like he could float to outer space. The times when Steve shows genuine concern for him, and how he really cares for the god like no one else has ever. Steve's smile send's his pulse skyrocketing and his cheeks ablaze, just, everything they do sparks something in Hero's heart. Everything he does just seems to have an effect on him like nothing else has. He isn't sure how he didn't see it before, or maybe he did but just didn't want to accept it. Why would anyone like someone who strikes fear into the hearts of others, burned villagers, and is seen as a monster? 

Another realization comes into play. He _loves _Steve.__

__He could be putting him in danger because of this. He could be the reason people hate him, or he might even be hunted like Hero is. Being with someone like him just wouldn't work, it couldn't. He'd cause so much trouble for him, and Hero doesn't want to put Steve through that. But then theres the other factor, what if Steve doesn't like him back? What if this is all just wishful thinking and in reality Steve doesn't see him as anything more than a wayward god that he's just letting stay at his house? What if it's all just a facade, what if-._ _

__"Herobrine, you okay?" His eyes dart over to the girl next to him, a look of concern crossing her features._ _

__"I love him..." He mumbles under his breath. Silence is plaguing the room with every passing second, the only thing grounding him from getting lost in his thoughts is Alex's reassuring hand on his shoulder. He suddenly frowns and presses his knuckles up to his forehead, groaning._ _

__"It wouldn't work, it couldn't." He whispers and Alex's eyebrows raise and she comes to stand in front of him._ _

__"Why wouldn't it work?" She questions, and Hero drops his hands down to his jean pockets. He has to take a deep breath to clear his thoughts so he can speak._ _

__"I'm a god, Alex. A wanted, hated god. People hate me. They know what i've done in the past, and they're terrified. People are hunting me down, and with all of this it would just be a danger to...This person... I don't want to put them through it, they might end up getting hunted to, all because I couldn't bottle this up." A frown makes itself known on Alex's face._ _

__"Well, first off Steve doesn't hate you, he would have left you a long time ago." The god shuffles in his place and looks at the floor with a straight face. "And no one knows that you're with him right now, so what would be the difference?"_ _

__"But what if something does happen? What if I can't protect them and something happens because of me?"_ _

__"From what i've gotten, the person your talking about is pretty strong on their own if they could befriend a god like you." The two chuckle at that, Hero's stress levels slowly going down. But as soon as they went down, they spiked right back up._ _

__"But then here's the next question, what if the person doesn't like me? What if they just see me as someone that they show around every now and then?" Alex smirks and crosses her arms._ _

__"I'm sure Steve doesn't think of you that way. He really considers you a close friend." Hero's eyes widen and his cheeks heat up all over again._ _

__"How did you know it was him?" Alex laughs._ _

__"You kidding? It's really hard not to notice. You guys are just dancing around each other, but neither of you have made a big move." Herobrine huffs and turns his head to the side, looking back out the window._ _

__"But seriously, Steve doesn't think of you as someone who's just a simple acquaintance, he really considers you a really close friend." The gods looks back over to the warrior._ _

__"But what if he doesn't like me that way? I haven't dealt with something like this in thousands of years?"_ _

__"I'm pretty sure you've got nothing to worry about." She smiles and turns her focus back to her chicken. The god is confused yet brushed it off. He's just glad he's figured out what the feeling is, after god knows how long of wondering. He's glad but at the same time worried. Although after talking with Alex, he can't help but feel the slightest bit better._ _


	7. Winter Wonders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To try and get a break from the tension in the Plains, the two head off to one of the many towns Herobrine's explored. But no matter where they go, theres always something they've gotta take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long, online school is taking up a lot of my time and is pretty draining. I did my best on this chapter, but if it's a bit sloppy I apologize. The title is pretty cheesy but sometimes the cheesy stuff is the good stuff. Aka I couldn't think of a better title. I still really enjoy working on this story, and i'd love to hear what you guys are thinking about it so far! Thank you so much for all of your support for this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

#  Winter Wonders 

\---------------------------

"Here, your gonna need this." Hero tosses the mass of cloth over to the miner, who turns his attention away from his sword to catch the item. He analyzes the item and flips it around to hold it in front of himself. 

"A jacket?" Steve questions as he looks over at the god, a look of confusion plastered on his face. The jacket itself was a blue puffy jacket lined with cozy fluff on the inside to keep the wearer warm. He looked back up and the god shrugged, nonchalantly leaning against the door frame. 

"Figured you're gonna need it for where we're going." A few weeks had passed since the NCP came knocking on Steve's door, and the amount of guards in the area had only gone up. Just because they were 'cleared' by the NCP doesn't mean that they didn't pass by the miner's home every now and then. Anywhere Steve went, he always saw groups of soldiers waiting next to shops, on the side of roads, and all throughout villages. Overall, it was becoming more risky for the god to go out into the open, and was pretty restricting. 

So, for a change of pace, the god insisted that he takes the miner to one of the many places he visits on his own. Which Steve gladly accepted, wanting a break from the NCP just as much. So far, Hero had told him very little about the place they were headed to. The only clue he'd gotten was the navy blue jacket that was currently wrapped around himself, which eliminated lots of options. 

Steve was packing his string bag with the neccessities, a couple porkchops and bread, and a few bandages out of an old chest just incase they were needed. The miner slung the bag over his sholder, making his way over to the god who was patiently waiting for him. Hero himself hadn't gotten himself anything new, he seemed to think that his black jacket would suffice. Just the regular faded tee and dark stained jeans. 

"You finally ready?" He smugly said as Steve bent down to slip on his does, managing shoot him a look at the same time. 

"I'll have you know I packet the stuff pretty fast." Steve said as he huffed out a breath and stood up straight. The god just rolled his eyes as he turned to face the miner. 

"Alright, you ready?" He'd placed his hand on Steve's shoulder, the firm grip signaling Steve that a teleport was a few seconds away. The slightest tint of pink faintly crossed the mans cheeks before responding. 

"Yea-" Of course, the god catches him off guard by teleporting them without much time to give Steve to respond. The breath was sucked from his lungs mid-sentence and the feeling in his body was gone in a second. The miner swore that he'd never get used to this. Although, he did notice that he was able to actually stay standing every now and then after a teleport. And one of those moments happened to be now; improvement is the first word that came to Steve's mind. 

But any thoughts other than the sudden cool breeze and soft crunch beneath his shoes were whisked away. As the feeling in his body returned, the miner opened his eyes as he was met with rolling hills of white powder, with a couple of trees standing tall here and there. Lone flowers popped up from the white layer and dotted the land with bits of red and yellow. He felt his breath being taken away by the cool crisp air that now surrounded the duo. 

"Thought that since it's getting stuffy back there, we could cool off here." The god sheepishly said as he averted his eyes to look across the powdered land. Steve turned his attention back to the god, who was trying to focus on a red poppy that was blooming a few feet away from them. 

"Hero, you brought me to a snowy tundra? This is awesome-!" Steve excitedly said as he took a step forward, only to feel his foot give out under him as he was sent to the floor. His palms went to break his fall, but brushed aside the thin layer of snow to reveal slippery ice. 

The god instantly raised a hand, trying to cover the laugh that tried to escape him. Steve chuckled and elbowed his legs, nearly causing him to join the miner on the cold ice if he wasn't saved by the flailing of his arms. 

Steve didn't try to stop the snickers that came from the sight of the panicked god tryiung to balance himself. He eventully heaved himself up and brushed of any of the remaining snow from his pants. 

"So, you like it?" The god said, voice slightly lowered. Yet Steve heard it none the less, and gave his honest response. 

"Of course! I haven't seen snow in ages, probably the last time I saw it was before I came to the village." Steve reminisced as he took a deep breath of the ice cold air and relished the soft breeze. The god's shoulders seemed to loose their tension at this response, happy that the miner liked it. 

"But anyways, I know there isn't much to do in a snowy tundra which is why I thought we could check out a nearby village." Steve glanced over and gave a smile. 

"Sure, that sounds cool!" But the god dramatically held up his hands to stop the mortal. 

"Yet here's the catch." He said before turning down to rummage through his black coat, his hands digging through inside pockets for something. After a couple seconds of this, he pulled out a set of goggles; the lens was a shiny silver that seemed to reflect anything like a mirror, and prevented people from seeing the wearers eyes. 

"I'm coming in person this time." Hero said as he pulled the goggles over his head, making sure it was adjusted correctly. Steve was intrigued by the idea, but had his doubts. 

"But wont that seem suspicious to others?" Hero pulled his hood over his head to cover up more of himself. 

"We're out in a snowy area, people usually wear this kind of stuff. Or at least I think." Steve thought for a moment but shrugged it off, it was surely something different from what they usually did. Most of the time, Steve would go in alone while Hero watched from rooftops or used an invisibility potion. So the fact that the god was going to walk right in with him was definitley different, but definitley cool. 

"Alright, but where even is the village though?" The miner questioned, and his answer was quickly given. The god turned him around, and a three minutes walk was a cozy village, lit up with lanterns and smoke coming out of furnaces. A frozen ocean surrounded almost all sides that lead off to icebergs that sat floating in the chilled water. Steve gave out a "huh" before the two promptly strolled towards the village. The closer they got, Steve could start to see the busy villagers huddled in sky blue jackets with cozy fur hats that had pom poms dangling off each side. 

Even though Steve had been to snowy biomes before, he'd never visited a village in one. So this was a whole new experience. This only added more of a pep in his step as they approached the paths engraved in the frozen grass. The soft crunch of ice beneath their shoes seemed to alert a few of the nearby villagers, causing them to slow their activities as they seemed to watch the two walk into the town. 

Cottages with overhanging roofs were scattered across the snowy plains, with a few miniature farms here and there. Cats meowed and scattered across the snow as the duo walked further into the village. I's no surprise that news would spread fast in a small town like this but soon enough, they we're in the center of the village with all the townspeople glancing over, but none coming close.Except for one small child who shyly crept up to the two figures with something in hand. Steve smiled and squatted down so he could be face to face with the child. The small boy, tightly wrapped in his coat, peeked up. 

"H-hello. My mom always said...said to welcome new people. S..so hi, and also do you like cookies?" Steve was slightly caught off guard by the last question, but none the less kept his warm smile up. 

"Thats very kind of you and your mom. And as a matter of fact, I do! May I ask why?" The boys face seemed to curve up in a smile at this response and held out two cookies in the palm of his gloves. 

"W..we always give something t-to new people. S-so these are for you guys." Steves face seemed to brighten, as his smile only grew warmer as he chuckled and gingerly took the cookies out of the boy's hand. Steve leaned back and passes the disguised god the sweet baked treat. As he turned back, the boy was already running back to a woman, who he assumed to be his mother. The child ran right into her legs as she chuckled and wraped her arms around him before looking up to the travelers. 

Steve took this as his cue to start socializing and made his way over to the mother, striking up a conversation with the god close in tow. Other villagers seemed to take this as a sign as well and slowly approached them, adding in to the conversation. At some point, the two split off in the bunch of people but each learned different things. 

Steve had split off with the mother and her child, along with a couple blacksmiths and fisherman. The mother was pretty sweet and told Steve about the general information about their village. They'd been here for generations, everyone looking after each other. A pretty generic and basic village, but the village itself seemed pretty livley and homeley. He briefly mentioned old tales, to see if they knew anything about the Nether god. But to his surprise, she just chuckled and explained how the village didn't seem to think they existed and knew little to none about it. Pretty comforting to hear. He of couse made sure to compliment her on her baking, the chocolate chip cookies had a crispy crunch on the outside with a soft and chewy inside. 

There wasn't a need for many animals, as there were pleanty of fish in the oceans and rivers that we're just on the outskirts of their village. Appearently fishin was a pretty important and popular job to take up, as it seemed that they fed the majority of the village. Even though it wasn't that big of a town, it wasn't a super small village either. So it only made sense that there were a handful of fishers in the town. 

But the part that really caught Steve's attention was the blacksmiths. They talked about how they would forge armor out of fresh iron and make the iron golems that roamed around the village, constantly on guard. The part that surprised him the most, was where the blacksmiths got the iron from. There were three miners that lived in the village, and were contantly bringing up all sorts of important materials. 

"You have miners in your town?" 

"You don't?" One of the blacksmiths questioned with a smile as he crossed his arms. 

"Well, not really. They don't need to go down there themselves, nor do they use the ores themselves all that much." The group of blacksmiths seemed to be taken aback at this, and pressed for more. "Why not? Don't they need the iron for iron golems or weapons?" 

"They're a larger village, so they've got some pretty up to date stuff. Iron golems do the fighting along side with people who want to help defend the town, but they usually have their own stuff. But the village gets any iron or ore from traders. They really don't use much of it." The group seemed to let this sink in, until one of them just shrugged. 

"Eh, their loss. We've got fresh ore, gathered by hand here. Plus, we have a group of designated defenders who need the armor." Steve thought about that, wishing that the village that was close to them did this stuff. Then maybe he'd be able to connect with people in the village better and feel a part of it. 

After awhle, the villagers slowly started resuming their work, and the kids ran off to play in the snow. The god and the miner met up again, with pleanty of new knowlage. 

"How was your hour long lecture?" Steve chuckled and nudged him in the shoulder. 

"Come on it wasn't that bad." 

"You thnk learning about all the different types of leather there is ever to exist is interesting?" Hero jokingly said as Steve let out a laugh that shook his shoulders. 

"Sounds absolutley interesting. But I also found out that there are other miners here." Steve piped up and Hero seemed to be a little surprised at the note as well. 

"Hm, didn't expect that. Maybe they're just sticking to older tactics." Steve gave a small shrug as they continued their tour around the town, getting the occcational hello from a villager. Steve couldn't help but feel a slight connection with this village. They valued mining and didn't seem to know all that much about the old tales of the god, so there were no worried side glances from every person he passed. All of the villagers were accepting the second they got there, and were pretty kind the whole time up to that moment. So even though Steve knew that he couldn't stay here, he could at least know that others like him still existed and he wasn't the only one. That maybe, even though he didn't meet the miners, he could become part of a community like they had. It seemed to put a nagging feeling in his chest to rest for a little bit, a relief that he greatly enjoyed. 

Yet, he was torn from his thoughts as something cold splattered against the side of his head, getting into his jacket and coldness nipped at his skin. He reached a hand up to feel the icey chunks of snow that now clung to his hair, feeling it slowly melt from the touch. Snickering was heard from behind him, so the miner turned around to see a smirking god quicky averting his eyes with his hands shoved in his pockets. Steve's eyes playfully narrowed as he bent down to scoop up a handful of snow and shape the ice in his hands, rounding the edges out for the desired shape. 

One he was content with the shape, Steve looked back only to be meeted with a face full of snow. The miner jumped back from the sudden coldness against his face, and used his free hand to wipe his eyes. Once he was able to see again, he saw Hero stading a few feet away from him, the reflection of the goggles showing the concerned white eyes that hid behind them. Steve only grinned, letting the god know he was okay, before quickly grabbing a good amount of snow to chuck at him. 

The god relaxed before he darted left and right, making it hard for Steve to aim. But a small breath and a quick eye, the miner managed to hit the man square in the shoulder. Herobrine looked over at Steve with mock offense as the two scrambled for more snow. The playful battle continued, snow flying back and forth between them. The small commotion seemed to draw a couple children near as they too began to shape lopsided spheres in their gloved hands to playfully throw. Soon enough, more and more children gathered around them, either taking the masked man's side or the puffy blue jacket side. Walls of snow were formed to protect each team and some kids even started to stock up on snowballs for others to use. 

Parents and adults seemed to fondly look over at the battle between the two strangers and their army of children. Alli of them laughing together as they tried to dodge the flying balls that hurdled through the crisp air. At one point a one of the kids gently tugged at Hero's sleeve amidst all the commotion. 

"Sir? I think the other side is starting to win, our wall is kinda crumbling..." The small child pointed out, and he was indeed correct. Hero's wall was slowly falling as the snowballs chipped away at the corners. But at the moment, he was only focused on the situation. There were people, children, laughing and playing with him around. If anything, he was part of the reason that they had all began to have fun. For the first time he could remember, people were happy to be with him. Other than Steve and maybe Alex of course. Despite the fact that they were children, and most kids are unaware of the dangers that could be waiting, they were still people that laughed with him. These strangers just seemed to trust him as they fought the snowball war, and even though it was something as small as that, it felt like it made the biggest impact. 

And he didn't want it to stop here, so he'd do the best he could to preserve the moment. So as he remembered the small child that clung to his sleve, he bent down ato their level nd ushered all of the other children behind the wall to quietly huddle. 

"Alright, were gonna do a _sneak attack _on the other team. How's that sound?" The kids excitedly murmered amongst each other as they waited for the man to continue with his plan of attack.__

__"Some of you can stay here to distract the enemy, while a few of you come with me so we can ambush the other team." A group of kids raised their hands, voulenteering to make the journey to the other side while the rest stayed here. Perfectly half and half._ _

__"Okay team, lets go." Hero hushedly said as the group that stayed there resumed throwing snowballs back at the opponents. While they did their work, the small group dashed behind the nearest home to take cover and start sneaking over. They weaved between villagers with a polite "excuse me" or "coming through" as they smirked at the sight. A fully grown man leading a tiny group of children with pleanty of snowballs in hand was quite the sight to see._ _

__Once they neared the team, they took cover behind a blacksmiths studio to spy on their oppenents. The fools were completeley distracted, just as Hero predicted. He turned back around to the kids to give the a countdown. Holding up three fingers as he slowly dropped one after one. And the moment the last finger was down, they burst out of hiding and pelted the exposed team with pleanty of snowballs._ _

__This came as a shock to Steve's team, feeling snowballs from behind only to have a group of people storming towards you. All of them panicked and ran out of cover for a chance to escape, Steve trying to block a few of the snowballs for the kids. But eventully, he ended up being the main target since he was the only one out in the open. He felt himself get swarmed with snowballs and tackled by multiple tiny kids who successfully knocked the man to his back, cheering at their victory. Steve laughed, knowing all of this was behind the man that now stood over him and proceeded to drop a clump of snow onto his face._ _

__The children laughed as everyone grouped back together to knock over what was left of the snow walls. Everyone was in one large group, talking about the fearless battle that just occured. Some were talking with the sitting miner, kids draped over his shoulders and playing with the zipper of his coat. While others high fived the hidden god for their flawless victory. Steve sent a smile over to the god who easily returned the gesture, an equally genuine smile. Everything seemed to be perfectly happy in that moment, nothing to worry about, nothing wrong. And how Steve wishes it could have stayed that way._ _

__Yells and worried murmers interupted the moment as adults dashed over to scoop their children up and lock themselves inside a home. It seemed like this had happened before, because the children immedietly ran into the village to hide or take cover. The two adults were confused from the lack of children and the scene that began to play out within the village. The two gave each other a glance before hurridly walking towards the commotion._ _

__A man was shoved up against the wall, a pair of black gloves tightly gripping the collar of his jacket. Threatening sharp eyes pierced worried innocent onces as the perpetrator seemed to deman something of the man, who frantically tried to calm him down. Villagers surrounded the argurment, but more of the hooded figures seemed to make them back whenever they got to close, and even started copying the first guy as they demanded their valuables._ _

__His legs moved faster than his mind, and before he knew it he was elbowing past the mass of hooded figures to try and break up the argument._ _

__"Steve wait-!" A hushed god called after the miner, but he was already gently pushing the man off of the villager. When the gloves abruptly released the villager, he gasped for air as he clumsily stumbled off into the crowd._ _

__"What do you think your doing?" Steve questioned as the man finally turned toward the miner, giving him a good look of his face. He looked quite similar to the villagers, large noses and long faces, but he was a shade of grey with threatening eyes. He wore a dark grey hooded poncho that dropped down to his legs which had a thick layer of black cloth protecting them. His black boots were designed with multipe buckels, and a thick padding around the sides to keep the cold out. Upon further inspection of his pants, he found a crossbow on his left belt and a rather sharp looking iron axe attached to his right._ _

__"What do you think _you're_ doing hm? I was in the middle of something." He shot back as he eyed the miner, stance widening. The rest of the men seemed to turn their attention away from the crowd and put it on the two men. They wore similar attire, but the only difference was that they didn't have an Illager banner engraved on their ponchos. Steve didn't let the group get to him as he continued on. _ _

__"I'm asking you why you were strangling that man. No matter what the need is, that's uncalled for." The man smirked as he took a step closer to the miner, instantly causing him to take a step back._ _

__"We're taking whats ours, these crops, the goods, maps, ores, everything. No one's gotten in our way for years, what makes you think you will?" Before the group could close in any further, the god quickly stepped in behind the miner, drawing his sword out from his jacket. Steve took this as a cue and also grabbed his iron sword from his side, getting wider in stance._ _

__"If it means protecting these people, then i'd happily step in to try." The man smirked as he drew out his axe and held it to the side, mockingly twirling it around before stopping to grasp it firmy in his hand._ _

__"So be it." As soon as multiple crossbows were being strung, the two dashed from their spots to jump in and attack. The two had to multitask, knock out the crossbows while also trying not to get chopped in two. Steve had dipped down to avoid the piercing arrows and successfully knocked a couple of the crossbows out of hands before using the handle of his sword to jab the perpetrators, knocking the wind out of them and kicking them back. The guy that Steve had been talking to rushed forward in an attempt to slice the miner, but he saw it coming and managed to block the sharp iron from making contact with him._ _

__Between the struggle for the high ground, iron against iron, Steve had kicked his leg out and pushed the illager back in the stomach to put distance between the two. Before he could advance forward, he felt a sharp tug from the back of his jacket that yanked him back next to the god. Steve almost attacked the person that pulled him back before realizing it was just Brine. Now as they stood next to each other, all of their opponents were in front of them, getting ready to charge._ _

__"What was that for? Jeeze I thought you were one of them for a moment." Steve said as he lurched forward to deflect and arrow and swing at an illager._ _

__"Being in front of your oppenent is better than being surrounded by them, your welcome for giving you better odds for not dying." The god disarmed one of the illagers of their axes, and cut his hand, making him flinch back. This continued on for awhile, disarm, swing, take a few steps back for distance. A repetitive cycle, yet none the less an effective one in this situation. The snow underneath them scattered around their shoes as it slowly began to thin out. They were on the outskirts of the village at this point, slowly getting closer to the frozen ocean._ _

__Steve took this as an advantage and backed up onto the ice, regaining his balance. Just because he hadn't been to a snow biome in awhile, doesn't mean he doesn't remember how to work on ice. He let his shoes slide as he turned around to face the uncertain yet determined illagers that bravely stormed their way onto the fragile ground. He glanced over at the god, who seemed just like them. Uncertain about the situation and wondering how ice could be so slippery. Yet unlike the pillagers, Brine was a god and could float. But to make sure no one would notice, he did it only slightly so he'd look like he was on the ground when he really wasn't._ _

__A few pillagers carefully jogged across the ice as they swung their axes clumsily at the duo. Steve side stepped out of the way and managed to trip the man, kicking him like a hockey puck across the ice and sending him flying. Another guy attempted to take a blow at the miner, only to miss and get a swift elbow to the back of the head. Most of the illagers had gotten close to the two, only to fall and slip right onto the ice and slide all over the place._ _

__The majority of the illagers had been taken care of on the ice, only a few of them remained willing to battle. Throughout the fighting, Steve had noticed almost all of the intruders on the ice. Almost. The man who Steve had first spoke to stood on the edge of the ice, a smirk plastered on his face. He didn't seem like he was ready to move anytime soon, feet firmly planted in the icey grass. Steve turned towards him and motioned for the illager to hurry up and make his move. But the only response he'd gotten was a small shrug of his shoulders before he winded up his arm behind his head and threw his axe far into the ice._ _

__Steve could only watch as the axe made a large crack in the ice, and it only got bigger. The crack spread in unpredictable directions as it began to pick up speed, ice crumbling around it and water began to seep through. Before he could even begin to move his legs, the miner felt the ice under him give out as he lost any support under him._ _

__"You cowar-" He'd begun to shout before freezing water filled his mouth and seeped into his clothes. But he could tell that Steve wasn't the only one he'd gotten into the water. He could hear splashes of people flailing in the water, struggling to get out. Did he just not care for his people? Even if he didn't it was a dumb idea, but he couldn't focus on that now. The water was so cold that he could feel his legs numbing up by the second, so time was limited. He pulled himself towards the surface, expecting to break the water but was only met with hard ice blocking the way. He began to frantically feel his way around for the break in the water, but nothing came._ _

__His breath was slowly running thin and his lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, but he kept on feeling for a way out. But that proved to get harder and harder as the feeling in his fingers soon faded away, and his breath was limiting how much he could move. And soon enough, his lungs acted on their own and tried sucking in any oxygen but instead got a lung full of water. This came as a surprise to the miner as he sputtered underwater, desperatley in need of air. It burned as he thrashed against the ice and tried regaining feeling in his body, refusing to stop._ _

__\---------_ _

__Ice breaking a few feet away had stopped the fighting between the three strangers, and panicked yells filled the air as splashing soon followed. All three of them paused to watch as the ice split and cracked under the pressure and commotion. Illagers began dropping down left and right, trying to keep their balance. The god took this opening to punch the illagers and send them flying across the ice, turning his attention back to the scene. The whole right side of the ice had collapsed, and upon following the crack he was met with the original man that strangled the villager. He had a look of pride on his face as he watched the chaos ensue across the frozen ocean. Hero was about to make a dash for the man when he heard a familiar voice._ _

__"You cowar-" He reconized before multiple splashes and more splitting of ice could be heard in the water. The god whipped his head in the direction of the voice, yet all he was met with was open water dotted with chunks of ice. Before he could really start looking, more and more of the invaders began to make their way towards the god, charging towards him and blocking his view. Sure there were a few at first, but the numbers slowly started increasing and time was of the essence. Steve was probably underwater, and who knows how cold that water is._ _

__A quick jab to the face snapped the god out of his thoughts as he saw a crack form on the bottom right corner of his goggles. More and more of the illagers continued to close in on him as his thoughts continued to spiral out of control. What if he could get to Steve in time? What if he was already hurt? What would he do without the miner? The questions were all he needed to let himself loose, and a wave of fire pushed its way past the illagers, knocking them back and singeing their ponchos._ _

__"Thats _enough_ " The people had immedietley began to back up and some ran over to help their friends. For the moment, that was enough for the illagers to back off and try to collect themselves again. But recollecting himself had to wait, he frantically began scanning the waters for anything that resembled Steve. But that was particularly difficult when every one of the illagers also wore dark blue. Heat radiated from his body and fire flared up in his hands in an effort to thin the ice around him and make it easier to see. _ _

__And among all of the illagers being pulled out, a lone dark blue figure struggled under a particularly large slab of ice. Not taking any chances, the god put his hands flat against the ice as it slowly melted away, making the figure more visible. Once he could properly see the person, Herobrine leaned over the ice and reached under to grab them. They immediately grabbed back onto Hero's arm as if it was a life line, which in this case it was, as he yanked the figure out from under the ice and pulled them up over the top of the glacier._ _

__As the two stumbled backwards onto the ice, the figure began to profusely cough as they tried to clear out their lungs , taking in gulps of air in between the sputtesr. Hero quickly leaned over to get a clear view of the person's face, and was more than relieved to see the miner's expression twist with life._ _

__"Brine?" He hoarsely said as the god pulled him into a tight, wet hug. God, if Steve hadn't made it out from under the water he didn't know what he'd do. Yet, he could feel the miner's shivers through the layer of cloth and leaned back. Hero looked over his shoulders to see the group of illagers all retreating, cold and hurt from the fight. Hero grabbed Steve's arm and wrapped it over his shoulder, hoisting the man up to his feet. As they stumbled across the ice, villagers peeked their heads out to survey the damage of the scene. But once noticing the two strugling people slowly making their way across the ocean, they soon emerged and jogged over to help._ _

____

__\--------_ _

The soft tap of shoes against old wood filled the empty air, gently rousing the miner from his sleep. 

"Mnghh...H..erobrine?" His head throbbed as his felt his body shiver despite the thick blanket that currently draped over his figure. The pacing stopped as quick steps on creaky wooden floorboards became louder the closer they got, until they were placed right next to the bed. A blurry man leaned down, white lights being the only reconizable trait of his friend. 

____

"How are you feeling Stephen?" Hero's voice echoed through the small space they were in, that Steve wasn't sure where yet. But right now, he didn't want to think about that. Too tired. 

____

"M'fine." Steve leaned against his elbows as he pushed himself up from the bed, looking around the room. It was a rather tiny room like he'd suspected, a dim golden glow came from a furnace as it cast flickering shadows across the sturdy walls. A pair of grey shoes were tossed in front of them, soaking up the heat to dry off. Next to that was a rickety table with one lone seat accompanied by it. Atop the thin table laid a cracked pair of goggels, the silver reflection tainted a dim yellow around the edges. The miners eyes traveled back down to the lonesome chair, wrapped in a particular navy sopping wet jacket that was slowly drying by the heat. 

____

"You passed out from exhaustion and the villagers let us borrow an empty cabin." 

____

"Huh, that's nice of them." A silence fell over the two as Steve began to rummage through his memories from before, recalling the fight with the illagers and falling under the ice. It's not much, but he vaugely remembered the warmth of another person and the feeling of smooth cloth against his side. Upon putting the pieces together, Hero had saved his life. The miner remembered the feeling of his lungs burning up when the freezing ocean water filled his senses. Yet strong hands gripped his arms as he was pulled out from under the ice. If it wasn't for the god, he'd probably be sitting at the bottom of the ocean. 

____

Clouded by tiredness and gratefulness, Steve absent-mindedly wrapped his arms around the gods waist, pulling him in for a firm hug. At first the god was taken aback, but accepted the gesture none the less as he wrapped an arm around the mortal. 

____

"Thank you." A faint muffled voice was heard over the crackling of the furnace. The god pulled back from the embrace to look at the miner with soft eyes. 

____

"Stephen, you don't need to thank me for that. I would have done it no matter what the circumstances were. You've given me this opportunity to live a semi regular life, you saved _me_ Stephen. The least I could do is save you too." A certain honesty laced his words, and that just made Steve all the more grateful for the god. A lazy, genuine smile crossed his tired features as the two sat in silence, warm glows illuminating each of their faces. Yet, sleep was getting the best of him as his eyelids became heavier by the moment, and the fluffly pillow was calling him back to its comfort. The god smiled and stood up, streaching his arms above his head. 

____

"You should get some sleep Steve, its been a long day. I'm gonna go scope out the area." The god already turning for the door, hand inches away from twisting the knob. Steve didn't know what overcame him, but the warmth from when the god hugged him just called to him. He reached up and grasped at the sleeve of Hero's jacket, making him turn back with a confused look. 

____

"Hey, uhm," He paused for a moment, thinking. "Could you, uh, stay maybe? Its getting kinda cold and.." The mortal trailed off, averting his eyes to the god's stained shoes. He questioned if he shouldn't have asked, he didn't want to hold the god back or make things weird. 

____

"Sorry, you don't have to of course! I mean only if you're cool with it, and if not I totally get it so-" The god cut off the miner with a light chuckle and quietly sat back down on the creaking bed. 

____

"Don't worry Steve, I don't mind. You have no reason to apologize, especially if you're cold." Steve, a little surprised by the answer but happy none the less, scooted over so the god would have room to lie down. Hero kicked off his shoes, lazily tossing them over to the furnace before sliding under the covers. Steve couldn't help but notice the pink that tinted the gods cheeks, quite similar to his own face at the moment. But the heat that radiated off of Hero kept him quiet as he sunk deeper into it. 

____

The coziness that the two created on the bed was irresistable on a cold winter's night, the breeze blowing against the house as the two kept warm. At the moment, the two were squished together, arms slightly overlapping as they sunk into the covers. As the miner focused on the warm touch of their shoulders, he couldn't help it as his cheeks turned a slight red. Sure they'd been close together before, but this was the closest by far. Steve could even hear the gods heartbeat if he focused hard enough. But a low, quiet voice cut through his thoughts. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, I should have been paying more attention." His voice was weaved with guilt and his eyes were closed. Steve turned over on his side, so he could look at the god. 

"No, no. Don't worry about that, we were surrounded and there was a lot going on." He tried to soothe the god's worries, but he only seemed to get more worked up as he sat up and looked at Steve. 

"No, listen. If I had waited any longer you would have drowned, Steve. You would have been stuck under that ice, and i'd have no idea. That could have been all because of me, you would have _died_ because of my carelessness. And if you died, then i'd be here alone, and I don't know what i'd do and w-" His eyes seemed to glow brighter with emotion as he used his hands to exaggerate his feelings. But Steve put an end to his rant and grabbed his shoulders. 

"Hey, hey calm down. Okay, it's your turn to listen now." The god zipped his mouth shut as he waited for Steve to continue. "First things first, it's not your fault. You didn't know what was gonna happen, it's not like you could control it. And the thing is, you did save me. We're here in this moment, we're both okay. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be like this right now. And don't worry Brine," Steve grabbed the god's hands and gave them a tight squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." 

Without warning, the god pulled Steve in for a hug, holding him tight. The sudden pressure on his chest knocked a bit of wind out of him, but he regained it and hugged him back, resting his head on the god's shoulder. They stayed like that for a minute or two, neither speaking a word, before Steve gently pulled them both down back onto the pillow. Arms still wrapped around each other. 

"I think we both should get to sleep, yeah?" The god let out a content sigh as he looked up at the miner. 

"Yeah, I think we've deserved it." Steve smiled as the two drifted off into the world of sleep. 

____

The next morning was difficult to get up from how cozy it was, they'd ended up huddling against each other, legs tangled up with the other's. Something Steve's heart wouldn't forget about anytime soon. But soon enough, they'd forced themselves up and headed out, feeling refreshed from the good night's sleep. That day they'd thanked the villagers for their hospilality, but they insisted that the two had helped them so much more than they realized. After a few more goodbyes and thank yous, they'd walked out of the village and came back to the frozen pond where they'd first started. 

____

"Hey, thanks for taking me here. Even when we fought the group of illagers, I still had fun doing it with you. And also we've gotta start bringing more jackets or else i'm gonna freeze." The Herobrine snickered at the comment and took Steve's shoulder, getting ready for a teleport. 

____

__"Anytime, Stephen." Hero slipped Steve a small smile that made his heart thud in his chest and his grip on his damp jacket tighten. But before he could give himself away, they were off. The weightless feeling of teleportation grabbing a hold of the miner and sweeping them off back home._ _


	8. Miners with Chills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly who would catch a cold after getting dunked under ice cold water and nearly drown? Steve couldn' tell ya.

# Miners with Chills 

\----------------------

A sudden sputter was what made the miner come to that morning. It had racked his ribcage and taken the air from his lungs, forcing him to take sharp breaths in. Yet, when Steve tried to inhale through his nose, a certain blockage prevented the action. A quick sniff and a rub of his eyes promptly got him to come to reality. It had been a few days since he payed a visit to the snowy village wonderland, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. But since when was Steve able to get away from a life or death situation without a few repercussions?

He absently pulled the covers closer to his body, in a feeble atempt to stop the shivers from trickling down his spine. Anyone could realize that they had caught something from these symptoms, but that didn't stop the miner from forcing himself out of bed. As he stood straight up, his mind seemed to do flips as everything became dizzy for a moment. Steve had only taken a few steps forward when he felt himself dangerously teeter forwards.

A stiff form luckily blocked his fall, causing a small 'omph' from the miner. Steve reshuffled his feet below himself and brought his head up to meet his savior. And who else was he to be met with other than the rigid god that stood frowning in front of him?

"Something's wrong with you today." The god abruptly spoke as Steve regained his composure and met Hero's eyes. He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, trying to clean it up.

"You could say that." Steve nonchalantly replied as he passed the god and proceeded to nearly fall into his ice chest as he reached for something to nibble on. The gods frown only deepened as he followed the miner and leaned against the wooden wall, his black coat flowing around him as he did so.

"Earlier this morning, around two or so, you seemed to be coughing and sweating in your sleep. And since then your symptoms have only grown." Steve had to admit that his throat was a tad dry and sore, but right now he was anything but hot. Herobrine only proved the changed further as he eyed the man up and down. 

"You now seem to have a sneeze and chills." Hero pointed a finger to the miner's arm that now pulled out a slice of melon he'd gotten from the local farmer villager. His hair was standing on edge and goosebumps trailed up his arm. Steve quickly rubbed at it with his free hand as he darted his eyes to look out the window.

"Kinda strange how you know it was specifically around two in the morning huh?" The feeble attempt at changing the subject couldn't pass the god, and he dismissed it down easily.

"You know I keep tabs on lots of things, Steve. But from what i'm seeing, you're sick." He bluntly stated as the miner brought up the watermelon slice to his mouth and took a quick bite out of the fruit. He couldn't argue with that. He'd lived with the god long enough to the point where it was just common knowlage between the two.

"Alright I might have a little something, but that doesn't mean that I can't move around." He said through a mouthful of melon. Hero just gave him a deadpan look in response. 

"Mhm, sure and you weren't just about to trip over yourself just a minute ago." Steve just looked away and continued to munch at his fruit, which followed a hard swallow.

"Well, sick or not, I have to give Maurice this stack of iron either way. Promised him I'd get it delivered in at least a day or so."

"Oh come on, i'm sure he wont mind if you're a day late." Hero raised an eyebrow at the persistant mortal.

"But what if it for something important though? And I couldn't get it to him just because of a sneeze? What if he needed armor built for a warrior and they were charging into battle?" A slight grin creeped its way onto the miner's face as he used his arms to exaggerate. "Yet because of our _laziness_ they only went in with a weak set of leather armor? And oh my god there they go off to their demise against the Wither, no chance at all! But we could have _prevented_ this if we just delivered the iron, oh woe is me!" The grin had broken out into a full on smile, laced with playfulness as he reached an arm over his head for dramatic effect. The act seemed to have broken through the tough exterior of the god, as a smirk accompanied his questioning eyes.

The god reached his arms up in front of himself. 

"Wow okay you make quite the _compelling_ argument, we've got to deliver this iron to idiot mortal who wants to fight the Wither in leather armor. But if you get tired at the village, you can't say that I didn't warn you." Steve grinned and nodded as he scanned the room for his bag and sword, not wanting to forget the items. He carefully and quickly slung his leather string bag over his shoulder and tightened the hilt of his iron sword on his hip. The watermelon slice now abandonded on the wooden table.

In only a few minutes, the two were out the door as Steve hopped next to the god whilst he slipped his shoe on. The fresh morning air seemed to clear out Steve's senses and mind as they strolled down the gravel path. The mortal felt much better than he had when he'd first woken up. Maybe whatever he had wasn't as bad as the god has been describing it.

He'd become quite accustom to living with the wanted god, angry or not. And Steve had to admit, it was pretty nice having someone else around. Even if they weren't there all the time. Before the god and the mortal had become acquainted with each other, Alex actually proposed that she and the miner move in together. As nice as it sounded, Steve ended up turning her down. Not because he didn't like her, but because he thought that having someone around constantly would get tiring in the end. Steve has always thought that, yet after he met the god, he definitley reconsidered the idea. 

And now here they were, walking side by side down the rocky gravel path towards the local village. As per usual, the god pulled out a potion of invisibility from his never ending inventory and downed it in a few gulps. Within seconds the man dissapeared into thin air, leaving the miner to seemingly walk on his own.

Yet Steve knew that the reality was that he was walking right next to him, as evident from the footprints appearing in the crushed stone below them. Soon enough, after passing a few unsuspecting villagers they reached their destination. The town was rather quiet today as opposed to other days where people were nearly piling over each other just to get down the paths. A relief really. 

The gravel path slowly changed to a more dirt like path, leading them down the calm homes that housed the local residents. Maurice's shop was placed farther back in the village, so the walk would only take a second longer. Which, of couse, Steve didn't mind. Not even the itching of his throat or the stuffiness of his nose could change his mind. Nope.

Steve composed himself when he was greeted by other villagers, yet he couldn't deny the fatigue that slowy became harder and harder to ignore. Eyes became heavy and steps became shuffles as they continued down the pathway. He didn't even realize that he slowly began to slouch forward and nearly tip if it weren't for the jab in his arm. 

"Still wanna keep on going? You look like you're on the verge of passing out." The god quietly said, slight worry laced in his voice as he followed the persistant miner. Steve regained his posture and nervously laughed.

"Of couse! Like I said before, we gotta deliver this Brine." The hushed response didn't reassure the god whatsoever. If anything, the determination and persistance worried him. The only reason why he didn't keep the mortal at home was the difficulty of denying him. He had this effect on Brine that he just couldn't shake off, even if he wanted to. 

Moments later, they were upon the blacksmith's stone home. Worn and weathered from the years of standing, yet still strong enough to support itself. There was a stone porch that hung off the side of the main home. And under that home was an elder man sporting a brown coat, accompanied with a black apron and a pair of iron goggles. He stood before an anvil, gripping a hammer and shaping a hot piece of iron.

"Maurice!" 

"Ah, Stephen! It's been too long!" They warmly greeted each other, the blacksmith leaving the iron in its resting place for later. He reached up to remove his goggles from his eyes and place them on his forehead, a ring of dust coated around his welcoming eyes. Yet those eyes changed from welcoming to worried in a matter of seconds, but his tounge was held back. Steve could notice the shift, but brushed it off and forced down a cough that bubbled down in his throat.

"I've got that iron you wanted! All freshly earthed up from the mines." He said as non-sickly as he could muster while he pulled out the iron from his bag. The older man gave a small smile as he took the ore from the miners hands, storing it next to his anvil. Although as he turned back around, his eyes were downturned and only a faint smile remained.

"Steve, are you feeling alright? You seem to be quite under the weather." The man said as he cupped his gloved hands, eyeing the miners features. Steve sniffled and straightened himself up, covering a cough into his hands.

"Yeah! Yeah... Just a bit tired? I guess?" Steve responded, uncertainty coating his words. A frown reached the blacksmiths lips as he took a step forward to get a better look.

"How long have you been feeling this way? You didn't have to get the iron if you were like-"

"No-! No, it's alright Maurice. I was feeling fine when I got it don't worry. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed y'know?" Steve interjected as he quickly formed excuses to reassure the man. He didn't want to have the blacksmith worry over him when he had his own work to do. Despite Steve's words, the frown didn't leave Maurice's face and he only stepped back to his original stance. 

"Hm, you're condition says otherwise. You've got bags under your eyes and you can barely stand up straight Steve." A hand reached up to the miner's neck as he averted his eyes away after the callout.

"Well, just a little off today. But I don't have much more to do today, so I'll be heading back pretty soon." The frown stayed on his face for only a second longer before it melted into a tired smile. The elder man reached a gloved hand up to the miner's shoulder and gave it a good shake.

"Sometimes it seems you forget to take care of yourself Stephen." He let out a small chuckle. "Just don't push yourself, and stay at home for a day or two will you?". Steve gave a smile in return as he slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way down the steps of the home.

"If you're gone, who else is gonna give me my iron?" Maurice laughed as he turned back towards his anvil and continued to work away. Yet Steve was stuck on the man's words. He was the only one who supplied iron to him? Steve always thought that he was at least getting it from another source, but for the man to only get it from Steve... It made him feel important. Included if you will.

"You should really listen to that guy you know Stephen." A certain voice whispered to him, and Steve just laughed in response. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just gonna get some food and then we'll head back." That was the plan at least. The two weaved and shimmied over to the fruit stands that sat in the heart of the village, a shiny gold bell sitting in the middle of it all. There tended to be more people in the center of the town, there were always more shops and stands to browse. Although this also meant that lines tended to be longer, and take more time. 

And the more time that passed, the more and more Steve felt like he was dying. One moment he was itching to jump into ice water to cool off, and the next he felt like he needed all the jackets he could get his hands on. The itch in his throat coudln't be cleared no matter how many times he coughed or cleared his throat in his arm. And on top of all that the runniness of his nose always required him to pay attention lest it drip down. 

Overall, by the time he'd hastily bought the apples, he was ready to make a mad dash out of there and jump right back into his bed. Steve sluggishly slid past people and walked along the path that lead back out to the forest. They were far enough out of the village to where Herobrine could make himself known again. There was only the occasional farmer carts that lay abandoned on the sides of the road. The god's form slowly reappeared as they continued down the path. Yet as soon as he'd fully materialized back, Steve rested his arm on his shoulder and leaned heavily against him. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest from the sudden close contact with the mortal.

"Hngg can you teleport us back?" The god was relieved to hear those words, and would be more than happy to take them both back to the home.

"Told you that you were gonna get tired. If anything, i'm surprised that you didn't fold earlier." They shared a small chuckle as they stopped to teleport.

"Alright yeah, just get us back so I can pass out there and not in the woods." The god gently placed his hand over the one that leaned on his shoulder as he readied to teleport. Steve dipped his head to the side and admired the trees to avoid giving away his currently red face. Finally they were gonna get home and rest. And the god could rub it in how he was right, but at this point Steve didn't mind. Yet before they left, a third hand butted in and gripped the god's other shoulder with a rather tight grip. Steve could feel the gods hand tense up over his and his breathing hitch.

"Herobrine, it's been awhile yeah? It's been a pain to find you y'know." Steve nor the god dared to move as the person stood still behind them. Gathering his wits, Steve slowly peeked his head over his shoulder to reveal a man with ginger hair and a quaint pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. A thick grey jacket was fastened around him along with cyan blue jeans that held a sheathed sword on his hip. Steve's eye caught the familiar symbol of the NCP sewn into the jacket.

In the blink of an eye, Herobrine summoned a glistening diamond sword and slashed as the man's hand. Yet to no avail, as he quickly retracted his arm and jumped a few feet back.

"Jeb what do you want?" Hero growled at he and Steve fully faced the tall man. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. 

"I mean, i'm here to take you back to where you belong, what else?" He responded snarkily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What, you think i'm just gonna go with you that easily?" Jeb, once again, shrugged his shoulders at the notion.

"It would be the smart answer." He gave the god an unfazed narrow eyed stare. "The Nether misses you." Hero scoffed at this and drew his sword up to eye level. 

"Ha, well you know I love these challenges."

"Even though you've lost time and time again?" Hero growled and charged forward at the ginger, sword ready to pierce the man in two. Jeb quickly sidestepped with a smirk, leaving Herobrine open for an attack. He pulled out an enchanted diamond sword of his own and aimed for the back of his neck. 

The god teleported out of the blade's way as it harshly made contact with the ground. A swift kick to the back of Jeb's head lurched him forwards as Hero tried to hold him down with his heel. Jeb swiftly flipped over and slashed at the god, making him back off. He jumped to his feet as the god charged back at him, swords colliding. 

"Ha, you've lost your touch Jeb." 

"Well it's been awhile. You did a pretty good job of hiding this time around." Jeb kicked the god's leg, and used his loss of balance to kick him once more in the chest to send him back. Herobrine quickly recovered and raised his arm to block an oncoming attack. The man slashed through Hero's jacket, leaving a slice within his skin behind. The god countered with his own sword but only managed to to clip the man's forearm. 

As he caught a glance through the torn grey fabric, a silver shine could be seen covering him. Only a slight scratch on the armor was left from his counterattack, nothing major yet. 

"Out of curiosity, where were you hiding this whole time? I was only told you might be in this area." Hero jumped back up and teleported towards the man, slashing at his legs only to reveal more hidden armor underneath. This gave him the opportunity to see what he was up against. He teleported back to ready himself from the older god's next attacks.

"None of your buisness." Hero spat out as he charged forwards at the elderly god. He raised his arm up high with each slash he made, trying to get a good hit on the man. Hero assumed the lead of the fight as he pushed Jeb back with each slash, never breaking eye contact with the man.

"Hm, well would it have to do with that mortal you've been dragging around?" Jeb managed to mockingly tap a finger at the edge of his chin with his free hand as he tried to rise an attitude. The god didn't respond, fiercley continuing to attack the other while their swords emiiting sparks each time they crossed paths. 

_"Don't loose focus."_ Herobrine thought to himself. Most of the time, that's what caused the god to loose control. In the past, Jeb had talked him into a fury and caused him to overexert himself which eventully lead him back to the Nether. The best option for him was to just keep on going and don't think about it.

"What a pity for the mortal. Having to get dragged around and forced to help a tyrant." The slashes only became more and more agressive as the man continued talking. Jeb copied the actions and only pushed back harder. Soon enough, Jeb began leading the fight and drove Herobrine on the defense. 

_"I tried to tell him, but he insisted that he stayed with me."_ He quickly brought his blade up to the side of his face, almost missing an attack that came from the right. Getting lost in his thoughts wasn't helping him win any faster.

"Hopefully he'll recover once we take 'em in. Who knows what kind of damage he's got after all this time hm?" A smirk slowly made his way onto Jeb's features. He knew what he was doing and Hero hated him for it. More sparks began to fly off the blades as they scraped against each other, getting in the fighter's eyes. But despite the hot specks of diamond dotting their vision, neither of the opponents broke the intense eye contact that they shared. 

"Well, once we get him to saftey, he can tell us all about the pain you've put him through. Cause after all," His grin only spread with each taunting word that left his mouth, and Herobrine just couldn't hold back the anger that began to fume behind his eyes. His back hit cold tree bark with a thud as Jeb pressed the blades toward's the black-claded god's neck. 

_"Don't let him get to you."_

"Who would ever want to be near a cowardly," 

_"Don't do it."_

"Weak, and traitorous," 

_"Don't-"_

" ** _Freak_** like you, h-" 

"Shut **UP** " Fire blazed from his open palms and spread all throughout the air in stream-like waves. The gods eyes seemed to glow even brighter than their usual hue, and the heat emitted from the miner forced Jeb back a few paces. Needless to say, Jeb was caught off guard when the sudden heat wave burst into his face. He was thrown off even more when fists of fire were directed at him. 

"You don't know _anything_." Hero shouted as he made no move to conceal his anger. His white eyes were ablaze as he swung fist after fist at the opposing god who'd brought up his sword to deflect any oncoming attacks. Yet Hero was relentless in his fury, and Jeb couldn't hold up his sword forever. 

"You can insult me." The god faked a punch to his left and managed to get an opening on the man, delivering a flamed fist into his shoulder. A hiss was herd from Jeb, not expecting the sudden attack. 

"But don't ever insult that mortal." Another blow managed to squeeze itself through Jeb's defenses and hit his chest, forcing him to take a step back from the force. The heat was intense and was proving difficult to fight through for him. Yet, of couse, the Nether god was unaffected. 

"He is a strong willed person who wouldn't back down so easily. If he wanted to leave, he would have done so. And I would have respected him for it, cause he's not like anyone else i've met. Especially not like you, Jeb." More punches continued to push the man onto the defensive side and drive him backwards. A scowl was sent his way from Jeb, yet it only fuled him even more. "He brings out a part of me that I thought _died_ years ago, I didn't know I still acted the way I do around him. So don't ever underestimate him the way you just did." A final, fire-laced punch to the chest sent him flying back into the trees. He couldn't tell if his cheeks were burning from the heat or his mini speech, yet he couldn't be bothered at the moment. 

Herobrine took a few steps back and analyzed the situation. Clearly Jeb's iron armor wasn't doing much for him, that's one positive thing. Trees crackled and burned in the dusk as smoke rose high above them into the atmosphere. Dirt was kicked up from the ground and grass was matted down, some rather dry pieces even caught fire from the outburst. An old wooden cart had a few licks of fire sprinkled here and there, the beggining of what could be a bonfire. The only thing left that he couldn't see was- 

"Steve?" The god called out, trying to see through the darkness for the mortal. Sudden panic began to coarse through the god as he whipped his head around in search. But of couse, the moment he let his guard down he was was kicked in the head and sent to the hard earth. Jeb had quickly jumped out of the bushes and pinned Hero to the ground, restraining his arms using his legs and his body weight to hold him down. He reached up and forced the palm of his hand onto the god's forehead, pushing his head back. 

Hero's head was spinning from the sudden blow, and his brain was struggling to keep up. Iron makng contact with your head at full force was sure to do some damage, especially if it wasn't expected. Using his other free hand, Jeb gripped the hilt of the sword and placed the tip of the blade directly on Hero's neck. 

"It's about time you go back home." He panted between breaths as his hands slowly forced the blade down, pressuring the skin underneath it. Herobrine's breathing hitched in his throat, he was stuck, couldn't move, and was still trying to get a grip on the current situation. But before Jeb could push any further, the hilt of a sword met the side of his head, forcing him to back off and see the perpetrator. 

Throughout the whole fight, Steve watched from the sidelines with his sword ready. He wanted to help defend Hero, but he knew that if he stepped anywhere near the two he'd be sliced up within a second by either of the gods wheather it was an accident or not. Yet as much as he wanted to focus on the fight, nausea overcame the miner as he forced his eyes shut to calm his body. The sickness wasn't making things any easier, and this was one of the worst times to have it. 

The sudden wave of heat definitley brought Steve back to reality, curiosity forcing him to peek over one of the three carts he'd taken cover behind. The words that spilled from the god's mouth made Steve's cheeks burn and come to a loss for words. So when the god became imobilized, the mortal sprung into action. Steve grabbed a worn shield from the cart, whipped out his sword and dashed towards the two. 

Which leads us to now, Steve knocking the hilt of his sword onto the side of Jeb's head, forcing him off guard. The miner made sure to barely give him a chance, as for the moment he turned around he slashed at the god's side and kicked him backwards. Jeb groaned as he struggled to come back to earth, gripping his head in pain and his back flat on the ground. 

"...It's over here! Get the buckets!" Faint voices could be heard farther down the path near the village, nearing the trio at a quick pace. Steve raced over to Herobrine as he picked up his arm and slung it over his shoulder. The god seemed to barely register what was happening and could only sluggishly walk alongside Steve. The miner spared a glance over his shoulder as they struggled to get farther down the path and into darkness. 

Jeb was sitting up straight now, and gave Steve a hard glare before dissapearing into thin air. A shiver trailed up the mortal's spine as he dragged the god down the gravel path, darkness slowly encasing them. 

\----------------------------------- 

Coughs echoed through the quiet home as Steve brought over bandages for the god's wounds. A single lantern that sat at the foot of Herobrine's bed softly illuminated the area around them, having just enough light to analyze the wounds. 

Getting the two over here was a struggle, Steve had to admit. He had essentially dragged the god blindly through the night, looking for any signs of light that came from his home. Hero had slowly lost consciousness as Steve pulled them both into his house once he'd finally located it.

Herobrine's body was dotted with cuts, varying in sizes, and quick-forming bruises. His eyes emitted a faint mist despite them being shut. The aftermath of the battle probably still wearing off from his body. The mortal knew of his quick healing abilities but he just couldn't bring himself to not do anything. 

He tried to keep a good distance away from the god as to not infect him with his sickness. But still close enough to wrap up particularly larger cuts that dotted his arms. A sigh left his mouth as he stared at the damage inflicted on his body. 

He didn't deserve this. Not at all. Sure, he may have done some destructive stuff in the past. But from first hand experience, the god was making quick improvements and large changes. He'd become so much more open with the miner, telling him stories about his past like when he used to get along with his brother. Or showing him sword techniques and proper stances when it comes to fighting. Even just little facts he knew about certain mobs, how some were easier to control than others. 

And in return, Steve shared his knowlage as well. Teaching the god about the new creatures and mobs that roamed around and where to find them. He showed them a closed off pond where Alex and him would cast for fish and laugh for hours on end together. 

Overall there was a lot more to the god than just the rumors and year-old tales from books. He had so much more personality than meets the eye. Steve being particularly drawn to him, knew how he felt about the god. He really did like him a lot but didn't want to make anything awkward between them. He'd talked to Alex countless times about the subject yet, even though she listened, she would always smugly respond and continue on her way. 

When the god would leave for longer periods, Steve would feel what used to occupy his being for years on end. Lonliness. He'd nearly forgotten what it felt like from having the demon around him so often. But whenever it occured, it clung to him like tape and wouldn't let go until he returned. It was a special kind of lonliness, one only a certain god could take care of and satisfy. 

Steve's vision glazed over to the god's calm features. Usually he was always focused or in a state of concentration, even laughing at some points. The calmness was strange, but welcomed with open arms. Steve barely registered his arm subconsciously pause in his mending and reach up to trace the god's cheek. Starting with his cheekbones and traveling down over to the goatee that outlined his face. The stubble lead him to the lips that were slightly parted, soft breathing coming in and out. 

He'd leaned in during his analysis of the man's face as he continued to eye his lips. His hand rested on Brine's cheek as his face was close enough for their noses to touch. Steve's heartbeat was thudding in his ears as he continued to lean in. He could just try to see what it was like. This was a chance that he might not ever get again. As much as he hoped the god saw him the way Steve saw him, there were pretty low chances to Steve. Just this moment, he could imagine what it would be like if his dreams became a reality. 

Sputtering bubbled up in Herobrine's throat which caused Steve to nearly jump out of his skin and jerk backwards. The god slowly propped his elbows up as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness that surrounded him. Steve on the other hand was bent over, stuck in a sudden coughing fit. Brine surprised him so much, it brought back the cough he'd managed to stuff down for the few minutes he was there. 

A quick rub of his eyes and the god was awake bringing dimly white lights with him. 

"Stephen?" He gruffly mumbled as he came back to reality. Steve finished off clearing out his throat before he sat up again to face the god. 

"S-Sorry! Did I wake you up?" His heart was still caught in his throat as he told himself to pull his mind out of the gutter. Herobrine brought up a hand in front of him to respond. 

"No, no i'm...fine." His voice trailed off and brows furrowed as he got a better look at the mortal in the dim lantern light. The hand that hovered in front of him reached out and was firmly placed on the miner's forehead. Steve was startled for a moment, but let the god do as he pleased. 

"Brine?" 

"You're still sick." He thickly said as he tried to sweep his legs off the bed. The miner quickly stopped him, franticlly making sure none of the bandages were messed up. 

"Be careful, I just wrapped a bunch of bandages around your cuts!" The god looked down at the cloth wrapped around his arms, appearantly not noticing it earlier. 

"Steve, you do remember that I can heal myself much quicker than you?" 

"Yeah but I just wanted to-" The god swiftly unwrapped the bandages to reveal scar like marks with a small cut in the middle. He seemed to be pretty good at handling bandages, Steve dropped the sentence all together and gave out a long huff, sneezing at the end. 

The god's frown only deepened as he abruptly stood up and placed the stained cloth aside. Before Steve knew it, he was off the ground and in a certain pair of strong arms. 

"B-Brine-" He sputtered with red cheeks as the god sauntered over to the miner's bed and carefully placed him down on the covers. He only left to grab the still lit lantern that casted a gold glow on whatever it touched. 

"I can walk on my own you know." The mortal claimed as Hero kneeled down next to him with the lantern in hand. 

"Mhm, yeah. You could nearly passed out before... before, that." He trailed off, his voice becoming a small whisper at the end of his sentence whilst he seemed to remember the whole encounter. Steve's expression softened at this. He reached over to grip the god's shoulder and give it a firm squeeze. Steve was unsure of what to say so he decided to try and ground the man with his grip. 

Hero stood up and made his way over to the cluster of chests in the corner of the home, grabbing a bottle of milk and a rag. He wet the rag with leftover bottled water and sauntered back over to the bed ridden man. Steve could see the damp towel begin to steam as the god seemed to heat the towel with his hands. 

Herobrine handed the bottle of milk to Steve as he kneeled back down next to the bed. 

"What's the milk for?" He questioned as he popped the cork off the cold bottle. 

"It'll coat the back of your throat so it won't be as sore." The miner shrugged his shoulders and complied with the god, tipping the bottle towards him and sipping it down. The cold drink refreshed his senses and did end up providing a coat for the soreness. After the drink was emptied, Herobrine ushered him to lie down under the sheets as he placed the hot rag on his forehead. Steve welcomed it with open arms as he relished the feeling of warmth spread throughout his head. 

"Thanks." 

Comfortable silence hung between the two people as they winded down from the day's events. They were definitley gonna be sore tomorrow, and probably wake up with a bruise or two. But the both of them made it out fine, and thats what counted. 

"From what I remembered," The god started "You managed to get him off me?" He placed his elbows on the edge of the covers and leaned into the comfort. 

"Yeah, I got to hit him with my sword and drag you outta there. You're a lot heavier than you seem." Steve's eyes widened as he realized what he said and quickly retaliated. 

"W-wait that not what I meant- I mean like you're just strong and I had to make sure not to drop you, and-" Hero laughed, his shoulders bouncing with his head as he watched the miner attempt to explain himself. 

"Wow thanks a bunch, good to know that." He smugly replied as Steve chuckled and continued to apologize. Their laughter faded into smiles as they rested next to each other. The blankets seemed to keep the chills away for now bringing relief to the mier. Yet Steve noticed the god's smile falter for a moment at he glanced over at him 

"Just... Please don't do that again, he could have really messed you up. And if you got hurt and I couln't help, I... I really don't know what I would do." Steve offered a small smile and gave the god a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

"I know, but it's worth it if i'm doing it with you." Hero's eyes seemed to glow a tad brighter, along with his cheeks for that matter. 

"And I mean, I've got a literal god on my side soo..." They both laughed/coughed together at that and settled down. 

"You're a huge idiot, you know that?" Hero jokingly spoke up after calming down. 

"Ha, you love it though." They both warmly smiled at each other as Hero let out a scoff. 

"Yeah yeah, rub it in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm really sorry for such a late chapter this time around! Its been way too long since i've posted anything. Online school has been pretty overbearing and stressful as of latley, but i'm hoping to get back on track. I'm gonna try to make more time to work on this story and keep it up! All the support I still get on this story just warms my heart and boosts me to keep on going. You guys are just really kind and I couldn't ask for anyone better.


	9. Raining Rivalries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes waking up to a calm day is just what people need to recharge, and take some time for yourself. Too bad Steve can't catch one of those.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Just wanted to give a late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! This chapter is pretty long, I didn't mean to make it so long but it just happened so i'm going with it haha. But thank you all for being so patient with me, I really do appreciate it. Thank you all for the support and enjoy!

#  Raining Rivalries

\--------------------

"He has to be there." The sunset shone through tainted glass windows, casting a wide range of colors onto the red carpet that Jeb stood on. Pristine white quartz pillars outlined the throne room, holding up sturdy stone celings. The glass tainted them to light shades of blue and green while the sun pulled its rays behind the horizon. The throne itself was illuminated from the large stained glass art that was built into the walls behind it. The picture depicted a man with his arms spread wide, and a golden apple glistening above him. He seemed to be higher amongst the many other people that were present, yet they were reaching for the apple instead. The golden stained glass casted yellow light onto the head to the throne, lighting up Notch's head as he sat in the chair. 

"We've checked everywhere else, so the only place left would be that house." The man leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees while he intertwined his hands. The air seemed to chill even further as he pondered deeper within his thoughts. 

"He's been hiding for long enough and i've been nice enough to let it happen. But that's proving to be a mistake, is it not?" His eyes flickered towards the only other man in the empty room, questioning for his opinion. The ginger seemed to straighten back up, and pull his grey jacket closer to him with a shiver. 

"Yes, he seems to be recruiting mortal players. Or at least one. I... I'm not sure how, but he seems to want to stick with him." Notch seemed to narrow his eyes as he averted them towards his shoes to process the information. Jeb continued to speak up. 

"The one I encountered last week managed to step up and defend him right before I sent Herobrine back. Yet he only carried an iron sword and a worn down shield. Chances are he knew what he was getting in to if I had only been more responsive." 

"And it was only the two of them? No one else?" Jeb nodded in response. 

"Only them. Aside from the local villagers who came to put out the fire, but we were long gone by then." Notch leaned back and let his head rest on the cushon that awaited the action. His fingers drummed against the dark oak, occasionally tracing the gold patterns that were engraved within the wood. Jeb could feel the thickness of the air thin out and how heat slowly seeped back into the room. 

"Awhile ago, one of the generals apparently went to that mortal's house." The god bluntly stated as Jeb perked up at this information. 

"They did? What happened?" Notch scoffed before dully responding. 

"I was told that the general was knocked out and a fire in the woods started. And later, the dissapearence of two of the soldiers." Jeb shaked his head and took a few steps forwards. 

"Then of course theres something going on there, is that not suspicious?" Notch brought up a hand and dismissivley waved it around. 

"Of couse it does, i've just been thinking about the next plan of action." Jeb nodded once again as he slowly clenched and unclenched his hands in an attempt to warm them back up. The two fell silent for the next few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Yet Notch was the first one to break his train of thought. 

"I've been thinking," He paused for a moment and glanced out of one of the colored windows before turning back, "we take the mortal." The ginger raised an eyebrow at this, not expecting the proposition. 

"Hm, alright. But it might be tough because of Herobrine. We don't know if the mortal is always with him for not. Yet say we do get him, what would we do?" Notch brought up his hand up to cradle cheek as he pondered. 

"Well, I was thinking we might be able to get him to tell us where Herobrine is. Maybe even lead us to him." Jeb shrugged his shoulders as he pocketed his hands in his jacket. 

"Again, that might be tough. If he's following Herobrine willingly, then getting him to us where he is would be difficult." Notch stood up off his throne and streached his arms high above his head before making eye contact with Jeb. 

"But what if he isn't following him willingly? If we get him to safety and he tell us, then it's a win win." 

"Yet like I said earlier, he willingly came in to fight whilst being pretty unprepared." Notch slowly began he decent down a couple stairs to make his way towards the ginger. 

"But again, he might be forced. Herobrine may have threatened him." He reached the bottom of the stairs as he continued on. 

"Yet by the off chance he is following him willingly," A firm hand was placed on Jeb's shoulder, "then i'm sure we can find other ways to get him to talk as long as you get him." Jeb seemed to agree from the shrug of his shoulders. 

"Alright, seems like it could work." Notch gave him a warm smile as all the cold seemed to dissapate in the air. The hand left his shoulder as Notch took a few steps backward. 

"You'll head to the home in a few hours, grab some armor and swords just in case." Jeb nodded as he turned around to walk back down the red carpet, opening and closing the large double doors that separated the room from the rest of the home. 

"So what you'd really try to drown me? After all we've been through?" Steve dramatically voiced as Alex snickered into her hand. She slugged the heavy bag farther onto her shoulder and swept her orange hair out of the way to shoot a playful look at the miner. 

"I'd do my best to try." Steve let out an 'offended' gasp as he lightly punched her shoulder, leaivng Alex to laugh on her own. 

"I'll give you seven diamonds if you do it." Alex gave a surprise gasp and a devilish glare over to the miner who now stared at the both of them as they walked. 

"Not you too! No, Alex don't even think about it." The two of them shared a laugh this time, even getting the god to add a chuckle of his own. The three of them were making their way towards anew cave Steve discovered along the border of the forest. Alex was only escorting them there, as she had to get back to the village to take care of a couple trades she was planning. 

Alex and Steve had been together for most of the day, catching up on the recent events regarding the NCP. He made sure to give Alex the warning if they ever came to her to be ready. But for the most part, they'd been fishing and laughing over little things for hours on end. 

The place they spent their day at was a quaint pond on the outskirts of the forest that bordered Alex's home. A small, secretive, and calm place that the two had come to dub it as their secret spot. It was a good distraction from the recent drama and fighting. 

They'd left because of Alex's errands, but she offered to walk Steve to the mine before parting. And Steve, being Steve, asked if Hero wanted to come along in the mines. And sure enough, seemingly without hesitation, he followed them out and joined the two of them as they arrived at the open mouth of the cavern. 

Steve streached his arms high above his head and leaned back. 

"Mm, okay. Here we are, thanks for walking with us Alex." She gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder as Steve smiled at her. 

"Of course, no problem. And sorry I have to leave you guys, i've been planning this trade for weeks now. Appearently its a one time chance to get a heart of the sea." Steve crossed his arms and waved a hand. 

"Don't worry about it, Hero and I will be fine on our own." Alex smirked and nudged the miner in the shoulder, bouncing her eyebrows. 

"Hm, im sure you will be." She turned her attention over to the lingering god. "Try not to let this one fall into a pool of lava." She said as the fighter turned around and waved over her head, leaving the flutered miner and god to the caves. Steve shook his head and turned to the god. 

"Alright, you ready?" He responded by holding up his left hand and let licks of fire sprout from his palms. Steve conjured a smile as the two turned to the hole and headed in. The walls around them darkened, and the sunlight from the sky faded away as they were immersed in the cave. 

Hero brightened the flame the darker it got, casting shadows across the jagged rocks that currently surrounded them. Steve couldn't imagine how much coal and wood he'd saved just from having the god light the way for them. On multiple occasions, Hero insisted that they just used a night vision potion. He claimed that they were just so much easier and it worked a lot better, yet Steve couldn't bring himself to use it every time they went mining. Even though the god seemed to have an endless supply, it bugged him that he'd be using up so many of the valuable potions. 

The miner unbuckled the swinging pickaxe from his belt as they ventured deeper down the tunnel. The crackling of fire that emitted from the god's palm and their footsteps echoed off the rocks and reverberated back to them, creating a rather calming feel. 

The beginning of the cave didn't have much to offer, but proved to be more fruitful the farther they went down. Pockets of coal littered the walls, floor, and celing, just waiting to be carved out of rock and put to use. Herobrine leaned against the hard walls whilst Steve made his way over to the ore and broke them free from their containment. 

Once again, Steve couldn't imagine having any other job than being a miner. A farmer maybe, but nothing compared to holding a fresh piece of ore after chipping away at the rock for it. The satasfaction of looking at his pockets full of materials when he was done always cheered him up. He pocketed the items and they continued further down, searching for more minerals. 

Mining always brought a sense of nostalgia to the god. Even when he was still with his brother and had access to endless amounts of riches, he still prefered to mine them on his own. The musk of the cave, the flickering torches, and the popping of lava bubbles just never failed to entertain him to no end. 

If he were being honest, it was probably one of his favorite places to be. Or at least a close second to Steve's home, but either way it was up there. Being down in the caves with Steve really made things all the more better. Instead of being alone with his thoughts, which used to be okay up until his banishment, he was accompanied by Steve and always had something to talk about. 

Steve's voice always seemed to put him at ease, always knowing what to say in any situation. If he was acting up in his head, Steve could talk him down. When in the Nether, Steve's words seem to calm him down and make it seem like everything was gonna be okay. And in times like this, where he was just rambling on about his day with Alex, it just calmed him to the point of no return. 

"-llo? Hero?" Said person was calling his name, and the god only noticed when he'd realized he was gushing over the mortal. He blinked a few times and flexed his hands. Steve was a couple paces ahead of him, confused as to why he wasn't following. 

"Yeah? Sorry I, uh, was zoning out." Steve smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he motioned him over. Hero paced over only to be stopped by the mortal. 

"Careful, its a pretty long drop." The god peered down to be met with a dark, gaping hole in the floor that nearly was a straight drop. Steve tapped his foot in thought as he rummaged through his pockets. 

"Do you think you could get us down there?" He questioned as he pulled out a couple blocks from his pockets. The god peered down once more before leaning back up and shrugging. 

"It'd be pretty risky, I can't see the bottom so i'm not sure how far down it goes." Steve walked over to the edge and placed a heap of dirt at the edge, making it float and defy the laws of gravity. 

"Theres a bunch of jagged rocks on the other side that would make good stairs, i'll bridge us over there." The god nodded in agreement as he pulled out a pickaxe of his own, made of sheek glistening diamond that faintly glowed in the dark. 

Steve placed block after block, building the pathway to the other side with ease. Doing this stuff for years can't help but make you improve. The two made their way across, Herobrine close in tow behind the miner. The drop below them made briding along quite uneasy, but none the less everything was going smoothly. 

They were only a few blocks away from the opposite side of the dip when Steve heard something crumble and frantic stumbling behind him. He whipped around right as the god teetered over the side of the makeshift path, fire suddenly flaring up around him in fear. Steve lunged across the dirt, throwing himself over the edge to grab the base of the shirt on either sides of the god's head. Fire singed the edges of his clothes and left a couple burns on his arms, and he let out a small hiss. Yet the only thing he was worried about was the sudden strain of the fabric that sent waves of panic through Steve's mind, worried if it wasn't going to hold. 

Suddenly, the weight that was once in his hands vanished into thin air and the fabric that was once clutched in his fists were gone. The sound of warping made itself known on his left as heavy breathing joined his own. The heat quickly dissapated, leaving as soon as it came. Steve scrambled up, first seeing the calloused hands digging into the dirt, and slowly letting the dishevled and dirtied clothes into view until he reached the wide white eyes that lit up the cave. 

The two of them just sat there on the shabby dirt plank, disbelief and confusion painting their expressions. 

"I swear to your brother-" Steve cut himself off as he leaned into the god and wrapped dusty arms around his figure. Herobrine leaned into the gesture, and mimicked the mortal's actions. 

"How did that even happen?" Steve questioned as he slowly pulled back, resting his hands on the god's arms. 

"Th' dirt slipped out under me." He explained with deep breaths as he regained his composure back. Steve let out a sigh of relief as he quickly placed down the remaining blocks of dirt and connected the two sides. 

His mind slowly drifted back to the image of Hero panting and dishevled in front of him, he vaguely wondered if he'd ever get to see that again. But he quickly shook his head and pushed the heat from his cheeks away, telling himself to get his head out of the gutter. 

The duo quickly scooted over to the solid rock, and shakily stood up. The god took this moment to properly thank the miner with a quick hug and awkwardly pulling back. 

"Uh, thanks by the way." The god sheepishly said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Steve leaned his back against the cave's wall. 

"It's no problem, im just glad you didn't fall." 

"Well, if it wasn't for you i'd probably be at the bottom right now. At least I'd be able to figure out how deep it is for us." Hero joked, trying to make light of the situation. And it did work, for a moment at least. Steve let out a small smile before turning away and readying his pickaxe. But Hero could see the sudden pang of sadness that turned his eyes down as they focused on chipping away the rock. 

Despite noticing the subtle change in mood, he didn't say anything. He wasn't sure why, his brain tried forming the words to ask, but his mouth just wouldn't cooperate. The rest of the way down the hole was in quiet silence as they mined their way down the trench. 

But it didn't stop there. 

The silence continued to plauge them as they reached more tunnels and continued to walk down. Steve had been intent on focusing while he mined a couple patches of iron, not speaking a word. Herobrine kept his hands shoved in his jean pockets while he waited, thinking back to the fall. 

Did he say something to upset him? Was he upset at the god for falling in the first place? Was he uncomfortable with the hug? His mind paged through all the possible answers as they continued walking and reached an open area of the cave. The familiar bubbling of lava filled the silence along with the rushing of water, the two even meeting in the middle to form a large patch of purple obsidian. With the lava pooling in from the right and the water falling from the left, they came together in the middle to create the perfect obsidian pathway for them. 

They continued without a word, boots sloshing through the water that trailed over the purple rock. On the other side, the large wall of rock symbolized the end of the cave system. It seemed pretty bare at first, yet when Steve gave a close look to brush off some dust, a white glint reflected off the light. Upon further inspection, a small pack of diamonds were etched into the wall. 

The two stood there, Steve in front of the wall and Hero waiting just behind. Steve raised his iron pick, ready to break the ore free and stash it away. Yet, before he could even swing down, his arm gently lowered the pick and set it down on the diamond and he turned around to face Hero. 

"I..I'm sorry i've been making this awkward. I don't know why I didn't-It's just..." Steve scratched the back of his neck, letting his arm go limp as he looked over at the pickaxe. Hero was almost startled to hear the mortal talk. He seemed to have a hard time forming the thoughts into words, but just as he was going to speak, Hero beat him to the punch. 

"It's because you're realizing how dangerous I can be." Hero quipped and quickly averted his gaze to the nearby stone. Steve paused, mouth still open from readying to speak. "I didn't apologize for that, i'm sorry that the fire came out so quick." The god glanced towards the mortal only to notice the faint damage on his arm. In the blink of an eye, Herobrine reached out and turned the mortal's arm to the side, exposing the injury. 

"Damnit I burnt you too? Gods i'm sorry, how could fuck up so quick in a matter of seconds-" 

"No! No, that's not what I was going to say. And it's only a small burn." Steve quickly piped up. 

"It doesn't matter if it was small, is it on the other arm too?" As quick as the first, he flipped over his right arm. And sure enough, a slight burn ran from the wrist up to the beginning of the miner's elbow. Steve could feel the god tighten his grip once he'd seen the burn. His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare down the burn, as if looking at it long enough would undo the mistake. 

"Hero, I really don't mind, it doesn't hurt-" 

"But I hurt _you _, Steve. You've done nothing but be _kind_ to me and I repay you by burning you." __

__"No, I hurt _you _! I put you in danger on multiple ocassions, dragging you around head first because of my stupid decisions."___ _

___"You don't make stupid decisions Steve, i'm the one that dragged you into all of this danger with Notch and Jeb!"_ _ _

___"I jumped off of a bastion remnant and pulled you with me, nearly burning us both alive!" Steve took a step forward and used his hands for emphasis._ _ _

___"But I put you in danger on a regular basis! Theres always the possiblility that they could come and find us and easily kill us. And it wold be because of me, not you. If I just didn't involve you in any of this, you wouldn't have to be involved with Notch and the NCP. You wouldn't have to go the extra mile and have to hide me from everyone. You wouldn't have to deal with _me _!" The god stopped when he felt something drop on his arm. He looked down to find one water drop, then two, and three and so on. Steve's expression softened, and all retorts were put to the side.___ _ _

___"Hero, I don-" Steve could barely get a word in before the god glitched, his arm became distorted for a second from the pent up energy. He quickly turned and used teleport after teleport to make his way back the way they came._ _ _

___"Herobrine wait!" Steve yelled after him as he turned around and swiped his pick, leaving the diamonds in the dust. His boots splashed across the obsidian as he followed the frustrated god, frantically running to keep up._ _ _

___The caves progressively began to get darker without the god's fire, but luckily he had a few spare emergency torches. He'd had them for awhle, saving them for a situation similar to this. Once, he reached the hole, Steve barely saw the god teleport all the way up within seconds and dissapear over the edge._ _ _

___He quickly lit the torch before sticking it in his mouth. Using both hands, he struggled yet succeeded to find edges in the rocks to pull himself up. Painfully slow, and definitley not as fast as he'd wanted to go, but it would have to do._ _ _

___Once he finally reached the top, even though being particularly winded, gripped the torch and continued running back through the cave system. Chances were god was long gone by now, speaking of how long it took for Steve to climb up while it took the god mere seconds. Yet he ran anyway. He started this, and damnit he was going to fix it._ _ _

___Jagged rocks that stuck out of the groud threatened to trip him multiple times, but thanks to experience and a burning torch, he managed to dodge the oncoming obstacles. Light slowly began to peek through upcoming rocks, letting the miner know he was close to the opening. As he ran up to the mouth of the cave, he slowed to a jog when he noticed another figure waiting._ _ _

___Steve blew out the torch and tossed it aside as he walked up next to the god. Rain had began to fall during their time in the cave, dripping off the mouth of the cave to create a curtain of water. It came down in heavy sheets across the forest, dripping from tree's leaves to the muddy ground, mixing into the dirt._ _ _

___Another heavy silence fell between them, much like earlier, yet lighter in a sense. Just watching the rain fall together put a sense of peace in Steve, calming himself down and catching his breath._ _ _

___"I don't think any of that." The miner quietly said, keeping his eyes trained on the bud of a flower, reaching out to soak up the rain. Herobrine shifted, keeping his arms across his chest._ _ _

___"You don't have to lie out of pity mortal-"_ _ _

___"But I'm not." Steve wanted to make that clear. "If anything, I was going to ask you if you felt like I was forcing you to stay with me." The demon's eyes flickered over, not moving a muscle._ _ _

___"You could do so much more than just stay with me, you could go explore the world, do whatever you wanted. But you're here, stuck following me around. I figured it was actually you pitying me, and I just wanted to say that you don't have to stay with someone like me." At this, the god turned his head to face the miner._ _ _

___"What do you mean someone like you?" Steve let out a breathy laugh before turning his head towards the god, but keeping his eyes fixed on the rain._ _ _

___"I mean, i'm just a miner who just does the same thing over and over and barely stands out. I'm literally just an average person with nothing interesting." Steve stopped mid sentence, his mouth acted faster than his brain could process._ _ _

___"But you," He looked over at the god, a faint rose dusting his cheeks. "Your a god that can achieve so much more. Your extrordinary at fighting, you can fend for yourself, you've got the smarts and looks to go out without being caught. You deserve to see the world instead of being stuck with me." It startled the miner when Herobrine gripped each of his shoulders, keeping him steady._ _ _

___"Steve, in no way am I staying with you out of pity. I stay with you because you're really not like anyone else i've known, heck, you let me stay with you. If I had ran into anyone else, they would have screamed and ran away. Maybe even try to kill me. But you helped me, and stayed with me." Steve took this opportunity to retort with his own explanation, he raised his hands so they held onto the god's arms._ _ _

___"And you're not forcing me to stay with you either, please know that. I know how dangerous you are, i've known for awhile 'cause i've seen it. But that doesn't change the person you are, you don't give yourself enough credit. I know it's cheesy, but mistakes and all Brine. I stay with you because I see the person under all of the hurt and pain you've gone through. And as for the danger, it's not like I haven't been in life or death situations before either. So what's just another challenge? And especially because i'm with you."_ _ _

___Herobrine was struck, he wasn't sure how to respond to an answer like that. No one had spoken to him like that in probably thousands of years, maybe even longer. One thing was for sure, the cursed heat came back to his cheeks. Yet Steve continued on, pulling him in for a firm hug. He didn't respond, he couldn't. All he could do was lead his head against the miner's warm, muddy shoulder and close his eyes._ _ _

___After a moment, the demon could feel his voice return and his arms come back online. He reciprocated the hug, squeezing onto his figure. For the first time, in a long time, he felt safe and content. The feeling was strange and almost foreign, but it was accepted with open arms._ _ _

___"Ha, foolish mortal." A smile curved its way onto his face, softening his features._ _ _

___"And you really want to stay with me?" The god felt cocky enough to let out a laugh._ _ _

___"Steve, i'm more than willing to stay, it's the only place i'd wanna be right now." He had to force himself to get out that last part without letting his voice quiver too much, but it seemed to get across to the mortal as he hugged tighter. A few more moments of this, and they finally parted, rain still pouring from the grey skies. Steve glanced at the rain, and back to the cave._ _ _

___"What do you say we go back for the diamonds? Plus, I think getting some obsidian might be useful." Steve suggested, lightly adding on the last part. This caused Herobrine to let out a hearty laugh, a laugh that spread across his features and crinkled his eyes. Steve couldn't help but feel his heart beat a million miles an hour from that smile. He wanted to engrave that image deep within his mind, he wanted to see it more._ _ _

___The god was about to let out a snarky remark, yet stopped as soon as his mouth opened. He froze completely and his expression became all the more serious._ _ _

___"He-" The god quickly clapped a hand over his mouth to silence him, and looked outside into the open forest. Ignoring the heat in his cheeks, Steve slowly pulled the hand down off his mouth and followed Herobrine's gaze._ _ _

___Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just the wet trees and the pitter patter of rain on the muddy grass. Yet, after a few moments of silence, Steve began to hear something. He strained his ears and tried to block out all other noise in an effort to understand the sound._ _ _

___Just as Steve felt like he was hearing the noise, the god yanked them both against the wall of the cave behind a rock. Backs were presesed into the hard stone with no explanation, and Steve didn't question it. He did his best to quiet his breathing, as the noise began to increse in volume._ _ _

___Skittering of leaves and heavy footsteps soon made themselves known as they seemed to pass by the cave, unsuspecting of the onlookers. Voices joined the mix as well, loud and harsh, seemingly in a hurry. The sound of something squishing through the mud followed the people from the sound of it. It squelched along slowly, the sound of boxes knocking against each other accompanying it._ _ _

___More yelling ensued, before they slowly began to fade out into the distance. And soon enough, the forest was back to catching raindrops and hiding animals. The two men waited for a moment, making sure that no one else was coming to blow their cover._ _ _

___Four minutes seemed to do the trick, as the god cautiously leaned out and peered around. Steve stayed put, not wanting to get in the way incase there really were more people coming. Hero's shoulders visibly relaxed as he turned around to signal Steve that they were good to go._ _ _

___The mortal stepped out beside him, and looking upon the roughed ground was footsteps and wheel marks that slowly faded from the rain. Steve followed the direction of the marks, which lead right back into the forest. For the most part, the trees shielded them from the onslaught of water, but that didn't stop a few drops from coming through._ _ _

___"I.. Isn't that the direction of the house?" The duo shared a worried look before quickly slipping out of the cave and followed the imprints mashed into the ground. Rather quickly at that._ _ _

___"Why would anyone be headed this way? After the house there's nothing but open forest." Steve began to think, trying to come up with possible answers. "Maybe they're just heading out for materials?" The god shook his head, his hair catching small droplets of rain._ _ _

___"Theres a pathway for that. There's no reason that they'd be going through the forest in weather like this." Waves of concern slowly made their way back through Steve's system, flooding all his nerves and thoughts. Did the NCP find out about Hero? We're they going to try and take them? Was Steve gonig to loose Herobrine?_ _ _

___No, Steve thought and cleared his head. They took care of everything last time they came, barely, but they did it. None of them saw him, so how would he be linked in the first place? He could be worrying over nothing, and myabe it was a couple of kids playing in the forest. Kids did that right?_ _ _

___But what he saw when they reached his house didn't calm his nerves at all. There were a group of men standing outside his door, peering inside the windows and knocking on the door. Steve thought that he'd heard a lot more people, but the rain did make it hard to hear clearly._ _ _

___Steve and Hero ducked down behind a couple of trees before they were able to be seen._ _ _

___"Okay, maybe they are at my house for something." Steve wheezed, peeking around the trunk of a tree to make sure that they hadn't moved._ _ _

___"I can't tell who they are from here, but I can't go out with you either way." Steve defeatedly nodded his head, knowing he'd have to approach them alone. But knowing the god was close by did put his nerves to ease at least a bit._ _ _

___"Well, we could just wait here and see if they leave. That's always an option." The demon shrugged, and looked back towards the house._ _ _

___"It would be an option if they weren't currently trying to kick your door down."_ _ _

___"But-, wait they're what?" Steve whipped his head back over the tree, to see one of the men swinging his boot into the door. And he'd had that door for awhile, so Steve knew it wasn't the strongest piece of wood. He scrambled to his feet and began to jog over to the home with his pickaxe in hand. The god said something to him, but the rain drowned out any form of the message._ _ _

___"Uh, hey-!" Steve promptly passed his animal barn, and quickly made his way to the group of people. Upon getting a closer inspection, they indeed were members of the NCP, their matching black uniforms with golden buttons that were slightly damp due to the oncoming rain. And to the miner's dread, it was the same general that approached him the first time they visited._ _ _

___Realizing that the home owner was nearing, the men nudged the attacker to stop and act civilized. They all turned towards the dirt covered miner with straight backs and tight lipped faces. Except of course the general, who wore a sickly sweet smile._ _ _

___Steve slowed to a jog and clipped his pickaxe to his jeans as he approached them._ _ _

___"Ah! Steve, what lovely timing. It's good to see you again." He stiffly stuck out his hand for the miner to shake, who sucked in a breath and returned the gesture just as stiff._ _ _

___"Y-yeah, lovely." Awkward silence hung in the air as the three men behind the general stared him down, unchanging expressions. Steve could already feel the sweat trickling down his neck as the tension only rose. He raised his fist and coughed into it, trying to break the silence._ _ _

___"Uh, can I ask what you're doing-"_ _ _

___"Of course! Can you allow us in so we can chat and get out of this rain?" He abruptly cut Steve off as he motioned to the door that stood between the cold rain and a warm cozy room. The miner snuck a glance towards the forest before thickly swallowing and nodding._ _ _

___He didn't normally lock his door, but ever since they encountered Jeb he just couldn't sit right knowing that he might show up. And his worry seemed to pay off after all. Steve swung open the door and held it open for the men to make their way in. He used this opportunity to properly focus on the forest, and spot two glowing white eyes staring back. As the last member walked in, he followed suit and closed the door behind him to keep the weather out._ _ _

___His house was clean for the most part, chests were closed, the shields were hung on walls, and beds were made. Only a couple logs of wood and his sword layed scattered about on a spare table. The general made himself at home quite fast, pulling up a chair and sitting at the wood table that was placed near his furncaces. One other member took a seat while the rest remained standing, arms folded in front of their chests._ _ _

___"Ah, do you mind if I empty a few things first?" The general only smiled wider and nodded._ _ _

___"Of course, no pressure." Although the pressure was as heavy as bedrock, he could feel all of them stare as he dumped out the stone and ores he'd collected into the closes chest possible. Steve quickly slammed the chest shut and turned back to his company with a faltering smile._ _ _

___"Take a seat, please." Steve only complied as he wordlessly pulled out the tucked seat and fumbled to sit down. The general kept his smile, but made no other move than lean forward on the table and interlock his fingers._ _ _

___"Now, first off thank you for letting us in. It's really coming down out there."_ _ _

___"Yeah, it is. I got caught in it on the way home."_ _ _

___"Oh, speaking of that, were you just out in the mines?" Steve nodded._ _ _

___"Yup, sorry if I look pretty roughed up, its hard to stay spotless down there." He sheepishly said as he took a glance as his dirt covered tshirt. The general only waved him off and assured him it wasn't a problem._ _ _

___"Now, Steve, i'm just going to cut straight to the point. There are exactly four, large tnt cannons all planted around your house at the moment. One north, east, south, and west." It took a moment for Steve's expression to really drop and process the situation that he'd gotten himself into._ _ _

___"This can go one of two ways," he leaned back nonchalantly in his seat and held his hands out to his sides. "One, the preferable option, you admit and tell us where Herobrine is and we'll call off the cannons. Simple as that. Or, second, you refuse to tell us and we blow up this place in a matter of seconds." He reached down and pulled up a small walkie-talkie, motioning to the device._ _ _

___"All I have to do is give the word, and this place is gone." The miner could only sit there, back as stiff as rocks, and stare a hole through the wood table in front of him. He was stuck, there was no other way of putting it. Stuck in one of the worst possible situations he could think of._ _ _

___He could weigh his options if he wanted to, but he already knew which path he'd go through with. It was just a matter of how to keep himself in one piece. There was no way he would rat out the god and leave him to Notch. They'd been together for too long, he'd rather die trying to keep him a secret._ _ _

___The general drummed his fingers against the table top, smile as wide as ever, pleased with his work. Yet what he wasn't pleased with was when Steve planted his left hand into the table and lunged across, swinging his fist directly at his face and landing a solid hit. The general stumbled backwards into the furnaces, dropping the walkie-talkie as the other members readied themselves to aprehend him._ _ _

___Steve immediately backed up, disregarding the chair behind him that was knocked to the ground as he readied himself as well. The first member lunged for him, but Steve only backed up and landed a punch to his nose, disorienting the man. He staggered backwards, and held onto the table for support._ _ _

___The next people were smarter, and both came forward at the same time. Steve did his best with the closest member who tried to swing for his chest, yet only clipped the miner's shoulder. Steve sidestepped the man and used his elbow to come above the attacker and slam down on his head. He was sent to the floor in an instant, hands reflexivley coming up to grab at his head._ _ _

___Yet the second member managaed to slip behind Steve whilst he was fighting, and wrapped an arm around his neck. The man pulled and leaned back with his weight, putting Steve into a headlock and blocking his lungs._ _ _

___The miner's hands flew to the arm that restricted his breathing and tried pulling at the blockage, to no avail. The struggle left and opening for the other members to bounce back, and for the general to gain his device back. He leaned forwards onto the table with one hand, and teasingly shook the walkie-talkie in the other. A steady stream of blood dribbled down his nose and over his lips as he stared daggers at Steve._ _ _

___"Alright, I get it now. But, i'm feeling generous today so i'll ask you one more time. Where is Herobrine?" The general waved his hand at the man behind him, and he let up just enough for Steve to gasp in a small amount of air. The general only waited as Steve sputtered and gasped, trying to get his voice back. And when he did, he stared the general dead in the eyes with a grin._ _ _

___"I've been waiting to do that since the first time I layed eyes on your face-hrk!" The member behind him only made his grip tigher than before, making sure no air could get down whatsoever. The general scoffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve, tainting the precious fabric with streaks of blood._ _ _

___"Hm, okay fine, do it your way. Gentlemen, if you could make your way out. You, stay here with him." Steve could feel the man holding him falter, but make no move to disobey. The general held a button on the messaging device and tilted his head towards it. Steve watched as his mouth open to give the words that would destroy him and everything around him. Everything he'd worked so hard on, his home. Yet, a sense of relief stayed within him, knowing that the god would go unfound and he'd have pleanty of time to get away._ _ _

___The looping sound of teleportation filled the room as the god appeared and sent a flaming punch into the man's stomach, forcing him backwards and once again dropping the walkie-talkie. He didn't give any time for the other members to react as he zipped around, gripping them with an iron hot grasp to throw them around the room. Steve gasped for air once again as he felt the person holding him release his grasp and was now suddenly thrown across the room rather harder than the rest._ _ _

___His hands finally reached his throat in an attempt to soothe the burning sensation while he filled his lungs with air again. Steve looked up to see the god breathing heavily, not from tiredness no, but rather from anger. His hands had blue and red flames interimxing together that licked up past his wrists, and his even though he wasn't facing him, Steve could tell that his eyes were glowing much brighter than usual._ _ _

___Yet he seemed to bring himself down from his short rage and rush to Steve's side._ _ _

___"Stephen are you alright? I'm sorry it took me so long to come in, I couldn't tell what was happening from so far away." Steve held up a hand as he coughed and took a final breath in, reassuring the god._ _ _

___"No, don't worry about it. They didn't really get to do much, but are you okay?" He felt like he had to ask this because of how bright his eyes still shone and the heavy breathing didn't seem to stop. The god shook his head and his eyes turned into slits._ _ _

___"They thought they could hurt you, and get away with it knowing that I was involved." The gods eyes flared up for a moment, blinding Steve before calming down again. "But you're okay though, right?" Steve smiled, Hero managed to calm himself down without taking out his anger physically. Or at least not too physically. The miner couldn't help but feel proud of how far the god's come in the time they've been together._ _ _

___"Yeah, better than ever." Steve had a moment of peace, a moment to spare, until his mind kicked into overdrive when he remembered the situation that they were currently in. He immedietly snapped out of his thoughts and quickly came back to the present._ _ _

___"Hero, listen theres a bunch of tnt cannons surrounding the house. They're gonna blow it up if we don't get outta here." The god's features faltered as he craned his head to look out the windows into the forest. They had to come up with something before anything more happened. Which it did._ _ _

___A glass shattered by their feet which let loose grey swirls and mist around them. Steve turned around to see the general shakily standing with the support of his members, grasping another full potion in one hand and the walkie-talkie in the other. He quickly leaned in and spoke,_ _ _

___"Don't fire yet, but be ready." Steve could tell he wanted to smile again, but the pain in his stomach was getting to him. He turned to Hero._ _ _

___"We've gotta go." Yet when he turned around and made a move to the door, his feet felt like they had turned into iron weights. A potion of slowness. He could tell Hero had the same effect from the mist that now stuck with both of them. Yet despite the obstacle, Hero yanked his arm and pulled him outside._ _ _

___Trying to move his legs was like trying to pull around a bag of rocks, they just dragged like his life depended on it. Shouting was heard behind him, but he could only make out the general's orders._ _ _

___"Change your tick speed and aim for the demon! The rest of you deploy out!" Confusion racked his brain until he saw the shuffling of leaves, and figures emerge from bushes. In pairs of two, men dawned in diamond armor made their way out weilding diamond swords. Some even carried crossbows that were loaded and ready to fire. Yet instead of helmets, they wore headpieces that seemed to connect to their ears. Seemingly to recieve information from the general._ _ _

___As Steve turned around, he saw how they surrounded the front of the house just waiting for them. Yet none of them dared to make the first move, not until someone else did it first. Hero's arm made contact with Steve's chest, palm facing out as fire engulfed his hand. A sharpened diamond sword made it's way out of the air into the god's hands as he motioned for the miner to take it._ _ _

___With a nervous smirk, Steve grasped the handle of the weapon and drew it to his side. A large hunk of wood was also thrown in his direction which he soon identified as a shield._ _ _

___"Wait, but what are you going to use?" The god's response was letting flames lick up his arms and drawing out a glistening netherite sword. He flashed a sharp smile and faced back to the angry mob of people._ _ _

___"Hah, foolish mortals don't know what they're getting into." Out of the corner of Steve's eye, he saw something thin and sharp aimed straight towards the gods forehead at an alarming speed. He was ready to raise his shield, but the god was always five steps ahead of him. He casually raised his free arm and, right as the arrow was about to strike him, grabbed the arrow by the shaft._ _ _

___His smile only grew wider as he squeezed it so hard, the wooden arrow split in two. The god let his hand slowly open, and the remains of the arrow slipped out and fell down to the dishevled earth. The miner followed the path of the arrow, to find a man standing shakily with his crossbow raised. A look of pure fear was plastered all over his face as he ducked back down behind the bushes._ _ _

___"Get the people on ground, i'll try to get the longer ranged." Steve only nodded as multiple arrows came soaring right at them. He already raised his shield before Hero raised his arms up high above his head, and swung them down to the ground. A hot ring of fire exploded all around them, sending waves of flames right back to the attackers. Any arrows that tried to get through werre immediately burnt to a crisp and dissolved in the rain._ _ _

___The ring of fire even managed to reach the soldiers, knocking a few back as they tried to charge forward. The god used this openeing to teleport into the chaos and get up front and close with the members. Steve, also using the opening, ran forwards with his shield up high to block the oncoming arrows. He felt them lodge themselves into the oak wood with a tack, yet didn't let it slow him down._ _ _

___Some of the soldiers who were more heavily eqipped stepped closer and readied themselves. Two out of the four challengers sprinted forward to meet him in the middle while the rest of them made sure he wouldn't get through._ _ _

___One of the men jumped up and tried to get an attack in from the air, but Steve just bent down and let his shield take the hit. The blade dug pretty deep into the wood, allowing Steve to push back and keep the sword stuck to the shield. The man didn't seemed prepared for his, but came back with just his fists._ _ _

___Another blade was coming in from his left, so he quickly swung the shield so it parried the move to save durablility and himself. Steve had to raise his shoulder up so the punch from the previous attacker didn't swing him in the head. Steve pushed him back with his same shoulder, forcing him back so he could deflect another swing from the oncoming sword._ _ _

___Steve decided to focus on the more equipped man, stepping forward and trying to slash at the open space between the chestplate and shoulder. But the man was quicker, and turned his body so it scraped against the diamond. He soon felt a blunt pain in his back, realizing that he'd managed to elbow him in the shoulder blade._ _ _

___Instinctivley his back curved forward from the sudden pain, but it also gave him the option to slash at the man's ankles. The sword cut through quite swiftly, making the striker stumble back and grasp his ankles. The miner decided to do him one better, and came up to elbow him in the back of his head. This pushed him to the ground, cracking his ear piece._ _ _

___But the victory was short lived, as another pain throbbed on his forearm. The other two aggressors were charging up arrows simultaneousely, firing them at a rapid pace. Steve had to bring up his shield in an instant, and ignore the arrow that now stuck itself in his arm._ _ _

___Suddenly, the first attacker tried pulling the shield aside to expose him. Yet Steve kept his stance, and only held it closer to himself with both his arms. This proved to backfire though, as the member started putting pressure on the shield to push the arrow deeper into him._ _ _

___Steve bit his lip to try and ignore the splitting pain in his arm and shoved the shield back against the man, and started backwards to put space between them. The rain only washed the blood away, making it trickle down his arm and dribble onto his pants. He used this moment to quickly yank out the arrow, try not to scream, and toss it aside._ _ _

___The rain made it hard to keep a proper grip on the floor, so trying to charge for the member was pretty difficult. If anything they more so slipped towards each other, Steve using one arm to block the arrows and the other to slash at the man. He clipped his torso and arm, making him grunt in pain and back off. More arrows continued to pelt his shield, and Steve swore he could feel the wood splitting apart._ _ _

___Steve figured he'd have to go for the archers if he wanted to keep his only form of protection. So he quickly changed direction and held the shield in front of him as he darted head on to the arrows. Explosions suddenly echoed across the plains and filled Steve's senses as a wave of heat blasted his left side. His eyes flew over to see the god in midair, fire practically engulfing his form as arrows and tnt flew at him. Soldiers charged and tried to reach him from below, but the heat was too intense to even get close._ _ _

___Herobrine was probably taking multiple dozens more people with little problems while Steve was struggling to keep his balance with four. He would have dropped dead in the first thirty seconds if the god wasn't there with him._ _ _

___An arrow in the shin brought his attention back to the situation at hand. Another one managed to pass the shield and clip the side of his arm, and another even got to scrape his waist. He'd have to learn how to deal with archers later, but as for the moment, he'd have to do his best and take the hits._ _ _

___Steve used his whole body weight to slam into the first archer, knocking him to the ground and swiping at his chest. Using his momentum, Steve flipped around and got to injure the member's arms and drop his crossbow in the process. He kicked the man square in the chest, sending him flat on his back as a wheeze escaped him. The miner made sure to take a look at the men and make sure he hadn't done too much damage, just enough to keep them down. After yanking out the arrows and holding back a yell of pain, he returned his gaze back to the major fight._ _ _

___The god wasn't doing so good. His eyes were a blinding white, emitting a smoke that dissolved in the merciless rain. Fire still swirled all around him, acting like a shield. But probably not a very effective one due to the multiple arrows and scratches that tattered his clothes and body. The rain definitley put him at a disadvantage. Steve looked up just in time to see lit tnt soar above him, and explode right on the god._ _ _

___Said god let out a yell and threw a ball of pure heat and fire towards the tnt cannon, making all the people duck behind trees and brush. Yet the hard metal that coated the outside of the cannon protected any tnt that still lay inside. Despite being rather far away from him, the miner could see the sheet of sweat that coated the man's forehead and the heavy breathing that rapidly rose and fell from his chest. He really was pushing himself to stay in the air and rain fire down at the same time._ _ _

___Steve ran straight back into the chaos, trying to keep the soldiers on the ground away from to god. He roughly shoved them away with the worn shield and managed to get a few to back off thanks to a couple swipes of his sword._ _ _

___All at once, the heat behind him dispersed and the fire was gone in a split second. White hot fear shot through Steve thinking the god had reached his limit, yet that worry was put to rest as he suddenly saw flashes of fire appear here and there across the plains. Soldiers began dropping by the second as the heat flew across the field in record time._ _ _

___While the soldiers watched in fear, Steve managed to knock them down with his sword and put some space between them all. Steve glanced across the field to see the general surrounded by soldiers, starting to run out into the open. They had a protective circle around him, armor and weapons worn, drawn, and ready to protect._ _ _

___Before he could question it, he could see Hero appear through a curtain of flames with his sword drawn. He expected the soldiers to raise their weapons and charge towards the god, ready to put up their best fight. But what he didn't expect was for them to immediatley disperse, leaving the general open to lunge straight to the god and thrust a staff right on his chest._ _ _

___Gods he wish he could have covered his ears. But there was no moving his body while he listened in horror. The god let out the most agonizing scream Steve ever heard, his insides scrunched up and he cringed, never wanting to hear it again._ _ _

___Herobrine seemed to be in multiple places at once, unnaturlly so as his body glitched wildly and his eyes were scrunched shut. He was gripping his sword so tight Steve could swear it was bending from the pressure._ _ _

___All of a sudden he was gone, and reappeared to collapsed right at Steve's feet._ _ _

___"Herobrine!" The miner bent down on his knees to hold his shoulders up and keep him from falling forward. He could feel the tremors that racked the god's body as he struggled to recover. The god gripped his wrists so tight Steve started to loose the feeling in his hands. He managed to pull his head up and look at him with blinding white eyes._ _ _

___"Gods, Stephen...ugh.. i'm sorry." He couldn't support himself anymore as he let his body go limp and lean into Steve's arms. Steve turned the god's body around so he layed against him, legs splayed out in front of him._ _ _

___"Oh gods what did they do to you? What was that?" Herobrine coughed and let his head thump against Steve's chest, too tired to support it._ _ _

___"Mgh... Staff th' Notch gave 'im." Steve caught a glance at the general leaning into his walkie-talkie right before arrows once again rained down on the two. He fumbled to prop the unstable shield above them, making sure Hero was completely under it._ _ _

___An arrow or two managed to lodge into the miner's exposed back, but he couldn't care less._ _ _

___"Why would you push yourself so hard? There's way too many of them!" The god shifted below him, trying to look at the miner properly. The last of the arrows managed to shatter the wood, splintering into multiple tiny pieces as they were left exposed to all attacks._ _ _

___"Had t' protect you..." Steve shook his head and held the god tighter. There were multiple explosions all at once, but Steve wasn't focused on them right now._ _ _

___"But what about you?" Steve strained, his voice catching in his throat as his vision became watery. "You need to protect yourself too-!" Multiple blocks landed around them, all red and sizzling, ready to do their job._ _ _

___"Why should I care 'bout m' well being?" The god slurred out as he let his eyes slip shut, not having the energy to do anything in that moment. The tnt's fuse sizzled, reaching their blowing point. Steve just pulled the god in and tried to cover as much of him as he could while he screwed his eyes shut, tears threatening to spill._ _ _

___"Gods, Herobrine- because _I_ care about you!" In that moment, Hero's eyes snapped open and the world paused. Everything just stopped, right in front of him and left him in the moment. Memories filled the empty space, flooding in through any blockades and breaches. _ _ _

___"Deadly person like you..."_ _ _

____"You're a threat to society-!"_ _ _ _

____"A wanted, hated god..."_ _ _ _

____" **Freak** like you?" _The god felt himself cave in, gripping his head in a feeble attempt to block out the voices that swirled around him. Yet his eyes snapped open all too quick._____

 _ _ _He was back in Notch's house, his throne room to be exact. He could see the red furnished rug below him, yet didn't feel a thing. Golden light filled the room, accompanying the stillness that filled the air. The clack of shoes aganst the quartz stairs caused him to whip his head up, realizing where he was._ _ _

__

___He was right in front of him. Looking down on the god as he always had. He wasn't a few paces away like he expected, but close enough to the point when he kneeled down, the god could see the individual strands of hair on his face. His mouth was bone dry when he opened it to speak, but what would he have said anyway?_ _ _

___"Well, i'm sorry that it's come to this brother... But, theres consequences to your actions. Don't think that this would go unpunished." Herobrine looked down at himself, his clothes were tattered and he had multiple cuts and bruises all over himself. Notch was there in his tan shirt and black pants, perfectly pristine and clean. It was the day Hero was banished to the Nether._ _ _

___"You probably expected something like this if you've been paying attention. But this is for the best for everyone, i mean, after all..." Notch rested his cheek in his palm as he looked right into the god's soul._ _ _

___"Who would care for someone as horrible as you?" The world around him suddenly began collapsing, everything disipating into thin air as he was left in the darkness. Devoid of all feeling. Yet, one by one, he felt his senses coming back to him. The droplets of water that pattered against his muddy jeans, the smell of gunpowder and blood, soft moist grass against his hands, and a face. Gods the face that dragged him back to the light and let him see the world in a new way all over again. And finally, the voice that perfectly matched said face._ _ _

___"Gods, Herobrine- because _I _care about you!" Scraping together energy, his body let out a roar of flames that swallowed them both. Yet careful not to burn either of them. He gripped the shirt of the mortal above him and let his subconciousness take them away.___ _ _

___\-----------------------------------------_ _ _

_____ _

___ _

___Steve was weightless, all feeling was gone. Was this what death felt like? He hadn't heard the explosions, maybe he passed out before hand. All these thoughts were put to an end when the world returned to him, oxygen filling his lungs and the scent of freshly fallen rain._ _ _

__

__His head slowly lifted up, and eyes were parted open. The maple tanned bark and green leaves were the first to meet his eyes. The cluster and density of them covered them from the rain, giving them a break from the endless pattering. Steve's eyes wandered to what caught his eyes next. A large, familiar, small pond that housed innocent fish that swam through the water without a care in the world. The occasional water droplet would spill onto it's surface, disrupting the perfect stillness._ _

__

__And finally, his eyes travelled down to the person that lay just below him. Also seeming just as bewildered. His bright white eyes illuminated his face, showing the cuts and bruises that dotted his skin. His clothing was ripped here and there, quite similar to his own. The god grunted as he sat up and turned around on his knees to properly face him.__

__

____And they were just there, existing. Together. The trees catching the pouring rain above them, and the muddy soil that supported them both. Hero's hand wearily came up and gently touched Steve's forehead, swiping away some blood that dribbled from a small gash. The calloused hand softly traced down to his cheek, letting the mortal lean into the touch._ _ _ _

__

__His hand was still warm from the flames that previously erupted from them, making it all the more comfortable. They both kept their eyes locked on each other, not wanting to look away in fear that the other would dissapear.__

__

___The god broke the silence with a question, voice soft and tired. ____ _

__

____"Can... I kiss you?" Only a couple words could provoke so many emotions tied within the both of them. Steve's eyes widened a bit and a red tint danced across his cheeks. Hero was sure that he himself was doing the same thing._ _ _ _

__

__The mortal softly smiled, and brought his face closer to the gods. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, breath mixing with one another's._ _ __

__

___"Gods, of course." And soon enough, they leaned forward to seal the gap that was apart for so long. Steve's heart swelled, the feeling that had been in his chest for so long was finally fufilled and felt like it burst with relief that it was true. The god's lips were chapped yet soft at the same time, comforting to the miner. He let his hand come up to trace the god's face, mimicing his actions. While letting his other hand drape down to Hero's waist._ _ _

__

___It was nothing like the god expected. Nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of finally being able to kiss those lips that he'd been staring at for so long. He wasn't sure if it was the tiredness or the worry that propelled him to ask, but gods was he glad he did. Steve's lips were warm and such a contrast to his own, making the feeling so much more intoxicating._ _ _

__

___Steve parted away, sucking in breaths and pressing his forehead to the god's own. Again, they just stared at each other feeling still. But not for very long. Soon enough their lips were hastily back on each other's, pressing and feeling what they'd wanted for so long. Herobrine let his hands wander, dropping his hands and letting them wrap around his waist and feel along the miner's clothed back. He could feel each ridge of his spine and indent of his back._ _ ___

__

____He felt Steve sigh into the kiss, and let his hands come back up to grasp each side of his face. He isn't joking when he says he could stay like this for thousands of years, just the two of them together like this. The miner let his hands slide down his neck and onto his shoulders, which would have been a lovely gesture if it wasn't for the multple injuries that dotted his shoulders. He hissed out, and in the blink of an eye Steve broke the kiss and apologized._ _ ___ _

__

____"Sorry, did I hit something?" He quickly asked, worry laced throughout his face. The god picked his hand up to try and touch the grazes and cuts, yet pulled away and winced from the sting. Steve carefully stood up, making sure he was able to keep his balence, and gently took the gods arm to drape it over his shoulders._ _ ___ _

__

____Herobrine stuck his feet below him as Steve slowly hoised him up, making sure the god took his time. And with a bit of manuvering, they managed to both be upright and able to move around._ _ ___ _

__

____"Alex's is only a minute away, think you can walk?" The god nodded as he leaned hevily against the mortal, shuffling along with him towards the trees. Despite the pain, the aching, and the tiredness that washed over him, Hero couldn't help but smile. He leaned his head gently against Steve's shoulder as to not add any more weight or pain.__ _ _

__

____"Thank you, Stephen. So, so much for caring."__ _ _

__


End file.
